Sale and Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues) scored in the second period for Czechia, which won a medal at the World Juniors for the third straight year for the first time. It won the bronze medal at the 2024 WJC and the silver medal at the 2023 WJC. Michal Hrabal made 32 saves.

The United States is on a quest to win the World Juniors title in back-to-back years for the first time in the country’s history. Despite losing to Finland in the group stage, their loaded offense, powered by Ryan Leonard and James Hagens, helped them win Group A and ran away with a 7-2 win over Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

However, there are also 2025 and 2026 draft-eligible players highlighting rosters at this year's competition. That includes James Hagens (USA), Matthew Schaefer (Canada), Porter M

The penultimate day at the 2025 World Juniors saw USA and Finland advance to Sunday’s gold medal game, setting up a rematch after the Finns beat the Americans in overtime in group play. USA Hockey will look to make history and win their first-ever back-to-back golds.