It may be the middle of the NHL offseason, but that doesn’t mean hockey has stopped completely. The 2026 World Junior Championship will take place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the end of December and into the first week of January, but before that can happen, they’ll have a summer showcase to see who makes the final rosters.
This will take place at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota(U of M) campus on the Minneapolis side. They will host the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland, with practices beginning on Friday, July 25, games starting on Sunday, July 27th, and the activities will conclude on Saturday, August 2. In this article, we’ll look at why this showcase is happening, which team stands out, and which players to be on the watch for. We’ll start with why they’re playing hockey in Minnesota in July.
Summer Showcase Highlights Talent
Some may be wondering if the big tournament is in December, why are they bringing these teams together to play in the middle of the summer? The answer to that is, the summer showcase will be a tryout of sorts for the teams to be able to piece together what final rosters they want. It’ll give the coaching staff a chance to see their players in both practices and games together to determine who fits in where and who may not be the right fit.
It also gives the players a chance to play together before the big tournament and get to know their teammates prior to playing games. The third reason; it gives fans a chance to see these players in a scaled-back environment and more personal. Ridder is a smaller arena with a capacity of 3,400 compared to the Xcel Energy Center, which holds just over 18,000, so fans will get an up-close view of the next up-and-coming players. This showcase is meant to do exactly what it has been named for, to showcase the talent prior to the big tournament.
Team USA Stands Out
Anyone who follows hockey on the national level knows that Team USA and Team Canada are usually the nations to beat at any level. The recent 4 Nations Face-off in the NHL was a prime example of that; all the teams were competitive, but Team USA and Team Canada were a step above. Team USA will likely be the favorite in this tournament as well as they just won back-to-back world championships. It’s important to note that last season, Team Canada was knocked out early and didn’t make it past the quarterfinal round, so they’ll be looking for a comeback and build their roster.
While Team USA and Team Canada will be gaining the most attention, Team Finland lost in overtime to Team USA last season in the Gold Medal game, so they know what it takes to make it all the way. Team Sweden is the unknown variable, as the IIHF website states they will be missing two key pieces in Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund in the showcase.
One of the main reasons to watch Team USA, besides their most recent victories, is who will be in command, and that is Bob Motzko, whose regular job is coaching the U of M Golden Gophers. He’s a strong coach and knows what it takes to win, as he’s done so before back in 2017 and 2018, according to the IIHF website. Every team has a chance, but the focus should be on Team USA as they have the upper hand even in the showcase.
Showcase has Stong Players
Although Team USA is the one to watch when it comes to who will come out on top, every team has players capable of leading their team. The IIHF website says Team USA will have nine of their gold medal-winning players back on their roster as they bring in 42 players to try and make the roster. Leading the way will be Cole Hutson. He’ll be one of the players to watch, and everyone likely already knows that, but Cole Eiserman, James Hagens, and Brodie Ziemer are also players to pay attention to.
Team Canada has the most gold medal wins over the seasons, and it looks like they’re keeping their roster to themselves for now. The IIHF has stated that their roster will likely have Gavin McKenna, who is expected to be the number one pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, as well as this past season’s number one draft pick, Matthew Schafer, among many other strong players. Team Canada is one of the strongest hockey programs every season, and it’ll be interesting to see how their players stack up this season.
Team Finland, like Team Sweden, is kind of an unknown compared to Team USA and Team Canada, whose players are always under the microscope. While Team Finland and Team Sweden are noticed as well, they typically get overshadowed. However, there is Aatos Koivu, the son of former Montréal Canadiens star Saku Koivu; many eyes will be on his performance if they know how strong of a player his father was. However, like Team Sweden, they will be missing key pieces in Konsta Helenius and Emil Hemming, according to the IIHF, so they’ll have to find ways to have others step up in their absence.
Related: 2026 World Junior Championship Groups Finalized; Canada and USA Separated
That leaves Team Sweden, whom we already addressed, without two big players, but they still have others who are capable. They will have just two returning players among their current roster since most of their players have aged out of eligibility. The two players they do have coming back are defenseman Viggo Gustafsson and forward Linus Eriksson, who will need to provide some veteran experience to their new teammates. Hopefully, every team has players who stand out and make this a competitive showcase for everyone to see.
