Sweden is the first team off to the semifinal after beating Latvia 6-3 at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
The Swedes will await their semifinal matchup after the conclusion of the other three quarterfinal battles later today.
Latvia has never advanced to the semifinal in tournament history, but has managed to stay in the top division every year since earning promotion back in 2022.
Anton Frondell led the way for the Swedes, tallying two goals – including one just 10 seconds into the game. Jack Berglund, Sascha Boumedienne, Felix Carrell and Leo Sahlin Wallenius also scored, while the Latvians got goals from Kristers Ansons, Karlis Flugins and Olivers Murnieks.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Friday:
Latvia
#30 Nils Maurins, G: Maurins was one of the top goaltenders from the round-robin and he continued with an excellent showing against the Swedes. He allowed a goal on his first shot again, but he made 19 stops in the first half of the game as Sweden held full control. The 19-year-old is a big, athletic goaltender who has had a difficult season with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, but he gave Latvia a chance to win in each of his starts in Minnesota.
#14 Olivers Murnieks, C (2026 NHL Draft): Murnieks was one of the few forwards who seemed to break the Swedish D corps today. He scored the 6-3 goal late in the game, but he nearly had another goal off an outstanding individual play in the first period. He seemed to be really feeling it today – and now we’ll wait to see where he gets drafted.
#23 Alberts Šmits, D (2026 NHL Draft): While Šmits would benefit from hitting the net a bit more, he does as good a job as anyone at getting the puck on net. He assisted on the 1-1 power-play goal, and then had a few solid defensive plays while the game was still tight to keep Latvia in the game. He finishes his tournament with a solid three-game point streak while playing the toughest minutes of any Latvian defender.
Sweden
#4 Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D (San Jose Sharks): Sahlin Wallenius has been Sweden’s best defenseman, so a one-goal, two-assist effort today wasn’t unexpected. He helped start the game on the right foot after having his shot tipped in by Anton Frondell. He then assisted on the fourth goal to help fully own the scoreboard. LSW does a good job of controlling the pace of play while being calm and collected with the puck.
#20 Alfons Freij, D (Winnipeg Jets): Freij has now registered a point in all five games so far after tallying two assists today. That’s now seven assists for the puck-moving defenseman who was tasked with playing key minutes right out of the gate. Today was arguably his most noticeable game with the puck.
#15 Ivar Stenberg, RW (2026 NHL Draft): Stenberg hasn’t dominated any game in particular, but he has been incredibly consistent throughout. He had an assist on the 3-1 goal and he had a couple of other decent looks, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Stenberg is a strong, skilled forward who does a lot of work in the perimeter, but he can fire like the best of them in tight, too.
#16 Anton Frondell, LW (Chicago Blackhawks): When Frondell is on his game, everyone else is in danger. Frondell scored twice in this game, including on a goal just 10 seconds into the game. He then made it 5-1 early in the third period to really put the game out while having a couple of other strong looks that nearly went in. Frondell has been Sweden’s best player in Minnesota, as expected.
#18 Victor Eklund, RW (New York Islanders): Eklund was flying today. I felt like he struggled to make much of an impact throughout this tournament, but he had a great breakaway chance in the second period, which ultimately led to Sweden’s fourth goal. He had a pair of assists total, but probably should have had a few more given how well he was playing. Eklund loves to shoot the puck, but he also did a great job of challenging for loose pucks in the D-zone and along the boards.
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