At the world juniors, Canada defeated Sweden, the USA defeated Finland, Switzerland triumphed in a shootout, and Czechia won decisively. Connor Bedard continued his pursuit of more records. Round-robin games concluded on New Year's Eve, therefore quarterfinals were decided as the group stage came to a finish. The Slovaks, who have thus far played an outstanding campaign, were defeated by Switzerland in a shootout to start the day. With their crushing victory over the Germans, Czechia proved to be a serious competitor. The Americans defeated the Finns forcefully and won their group. Additionally, the Canadians continued their recent excellent play by winning their final game going into the quarterfinals.