Forum News Service reporters Brad Elliott Schlossman, Jared Rubado and Jason Feldman take a shot at predicting which teams will win Friday’s World Junior Championship quarterfinals.

United States vs. Finland

When: 5 p.m. Friday.
Where: Xcel Energy Center.
Records: USA 3-1, Finland 2-2.

USA player to watch: D Chase Reid. In the absence of Cole Hutson in group play, Reid affirmed his status as one of the top defensive prospects in the 2026 draft. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound right-shot blue liner has a pair of goals and assists in four tournament games. Reid is over a point per game in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds and is a Michigan State commit.

Finland player to watch: F Oliver Suvano. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound power forward looks like a top-15 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. When he’s on his game, he can be tough to handle down low. For an American defensive group that’s had issues, that could be a challenge.

Why USA will win: The Americans got their wake-up call in a beatdown from Sweden on New Year’s Eve to close out pool play. The U.S. responded well to its preliminary overtime loss against Finland a year ago on the way to winning gold. It will lean on that experience, and WJC returners like James Hagens, Brodie Ziemer and Teddy Stiga, to avoid an early exit in an evenly-matched quarterfinal game.

Why Finland will win: The Finns aren’t flashy, but they’re solid all over the ice. Everett Silvertips teammates Matias Vanhanen and Julius Miettinen pose a danger on the top line. Suvanto gives the Finns depth. It’s a hungry group after losing to the Americans in the gold-medal game in overtime last year.

Schlossman’s pick: 3-2 United States
Rubado’s pick: 6-4 United States
Feldman’s pick: 5-4 Finland

Canada’s Sam O’Reilly (23) celebrates his goal with teammate Caleb Desnoyers (25) after scoring on an empty net in third period IIHF World Junior Championship hockey action against Finland, in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada vs. Slovakia

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Records: Canada 4-0, Slovakia 1-3.

Canada player to watch: F Michael Hage. The Michigan sophomore has been arguably Canada’s best and most consistent forward this tournament. Hage, a Montreal Canadiens first-round pick, has two goals and six assists for Team Canada.

Slovakia player to watch: F Tomas Chrenko. You’d be hard-pressed to find a player who raised his draft stock more than Chrenko in this tournament. Chrenko entered the WJC projected to be a late first-round pick or an early Day 2 selection in the 2025 draft. He’s tied for the lead with three Canadiens to lead the WJC in scoring with five goals and three assists.

Why Canada will win: The Canadians have far too much firepower throughout the lineup. It’s no longer just the top line producing. The depth scoring showed up against Finland and nobody can match Canada’s depth, especially not Slovakia.

Why Slovakia will win: Slovakia will have a puncher’s chance against tournament-favorite Canada if it gets the goaltending it needs. Michal Pradel, a third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, started the final three games for Slovakia in pool play, posting a save percentage of .894 and a goal-against average of 3.46. If Pradel is on, Slovakia can repeat Canada’s quarterfinal exit from a year ago.

Schlossman’s pick: 5-0 Canada
Rubado’s pick: 5-1 Canada
Feldman’s pick: 6-2 Canada

Sweden forward Linus Eriksson, right, skates with the puck against Slovakia during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey group stage game Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Sweden vs. Latvia

When: 1 p.m. Friday.
Where: Xcel Energy Center.
Records: Sweden 4-0, Latvia 1-3.

Sweden player to watch: F Lucas Pettersson. The high second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2024 has been one of the best players on one of the tournament’s best teams. Pettersson leads Sweden in goals (4) and is tied for the team lead in points (5). He’s also tied with Finland’s Niklas Nykyri with a tournament-best plus-7 plus/minus rating. Pettersson has done all that while averaging just 12:24 of ice time per game.

Latvia player to watch: D Albert Smits. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound blue liner can control games at both ends of the rink. He’s long, strong and responsible defensively. He can impact games offensively with a booming shot from the point. Smits is working his way into top-10 pick contention with his play at the World Juniors.

Why Sweden will win: Sweden’s standout group of forwards, including Pettersson, Ivar Stenberg, Viggo Bjorck, Anton Frontdell and Victor Eklund, has made penalty killing a nightmare for opposing teams. Sweden’s power play is 9 for 18 through four games in pool play. Even when 5-on-5 scoring has dried up, Sweden’s man-advantage units proved they are more than capable of making up the difference.

Why Latvia will win: Latvia will get outshot and outchanced in this game, but the Latvians have looked comfortable in that position. They hung in with Canada until the end. They hung in with Czechia until the end. They’ve been a tough out for a few teams, and if Sweden struggles to pull away, look out for the Latvians.

Schlossman’s pick: 6-1 Sweden
Rubado’s pick: 7-0 Sweden
Feldman’s pick: 5-3 Sweden

Czechia goaltender Michal Orsulak (30) makes a save against Finland’s Julius Miettinen (27) during second-period IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship game action in Minneapolis, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Czechia vs. Switzerland

When: 3:30 p.m. Friday
Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci
Records: Czechia 3-1, Switzerland 2-2

Czechia player to watch: D Adam Jiricek. The St. Louis Blues first-round pick has been one of the best defensemen in the tournament, if not the best. He’s logging close to 25 minutes a game and making an impact on both ends. He scored the goal of the tournament thus far, going between the legs for an overtime winner against Finland.

Switzerland player to watch: G Christian Kirsch. The strength of the Swiss coming into the tournament was on the back end, and nothing that’s happened so far has proven that wrong. If Switzerland is to have any chance of reaching the semifinals, Kirsch has to be at his best. The 2024 fourth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks was outstanding in pool play, going 1-1 with a 1.01 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage. He is likely to play college hockey and is currently uncommitted.

Why Czechia will win: The Czechs have been sneaky good in this tournament. They added top-10 pick Radim Mrtka to the defensive corps midway through, which gives them one of the best top-four in the tournament. They’ve got numerous weapons up front, including UMass freshman Vaclav Nestrasil, a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick.

Why Switzerland will win: This tournament is loaded with highly skilled offensive players. The Swiss are a bit different. They have some talent up front, but their strength is their defense. That corps is led by three NHL Draft picks — captain Leon Muggli (Washington Capitals), Ludvig Johnson (Utah Mammoth) and Basile Sansonnens (Vancouver Canucks). Undrafted Daniil Ustinkov has been their most productive blue liner; the 6-foot-1, 201-pound 19-year-old has three assists in four tournament games.

Schlossman’s pick: 5-2 Czechia
Rubado’s pick: 3-2 Switzerland
Feldman’s pick: 7-4 Czechia

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As much as the Vikings have consistently preached the importance of team success over individual stats, the most important order of business right now could be finding a way to get star receiver Justin Jefferson over 1,000 yards.

There isn’t much for the Vikings to play for when they host the Green Bay Packers. They can’t make the playoffs no matter what happens on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. They will be playing for pride more than anything else.

That’s why the Vikings could do everything in their power to help their best player continue his historic streak.

Since the Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, Jefferson has taken the league by storm, never failing to eclipse 1,000 yards at any point in his career. He once did it in 10 games after missing a large chunk of time with a hamstring strain.

That was the only other time Jefferson even flirted with missing the mark until this season. His lack of production has left him needing 53 yards to reach the milestone when the Vikings play the Packers.

What’s going through his head heading into the finale?

“To let it all out,” Jefferson said. “To give it my all.”

The fact that Jefferson isn’t a lock to eclipse 1,000 yards speaks to how much of a roller coaster it’s been with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy at the helm. To this point, Jefferson is only averaging 48.4 yards per game with McCarthy as the starter. The downturn has been staggering when considering how dominant he has been for most of his career.

Not that Jefferson has ever been willing to throw McCarthy under the bus. He’s stood up for his signal caller at every turn this season. He did so again on Thursday afternoon at TCO Performance Center when asked if he wants McCarthy to be the starter next season.

“I would love for him to be the quarterback,” Jefferson said. “I would love to have him, and love to work with him and show everybody that he is that No. 1 guy.”

The continued support of McCarthy doesn’t take away from Jefferson starting to feel the pressure of still not having won a playoff game with the Vikings. He knows it’s something he has to accomplisher sooner rather than later.

“I hate cutting on that TV in late January and February and seeing other teams playing,” Jeffersons said. “That’s something we’ve got to change.”

There’s nothing that Jefferson can do about it this season. Not when the Vikings were officially eliminated from playoff contention a couple of weeks ago. He won’t have a chance to change the narrative until next season.

That’s why him continuing his historic yards streak could take precedence over everything else when the Vikings play the Packers. He’s been a good soldier throughout a disappointing campaign and, perhaps, deserves to be rewarded in some way, shape, or form.

“The last opportunity to get 1,000 yards,” Jefferson said with a knowing smile. “It’s about going out there and having that kid mindset and having fun.”

If he does that, the rest should take care of itself.

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Two women in separate vehicles died in a two-vehicle crash in Pierce County on Tuesday.

The Pierce County sheriff’s office was called to the crash on U.S. 63 near 770th Street in the town of Trenton at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. They found the driver of a 2013 Kia Optima and the driver of a 2012 Chevy Equinox had crashed while traveling in opposite directions on the highway.

The sheriff’s office said the Kia was being driven southbound by Jena Klos, 43, of Ellsworth, Wis. She was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where she was later pronounced dead. The driver of the Chevy, Rodney Buck, 77, of Amery, Wis., was also transported to the hospital. His injuries were not released by authorities on Friday.

A passenger in his vehicle, Betty Buck, 77, of Amery, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

The details of the crash are under investigation.

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