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2025 WORLD JUNIORS: Team Latvia remains the feel-good story of the tournament

Posted on by Kyle Watson

OTTAWA - It wasn't a day fans had marked on their calendar.

The prospect of watching the Germans and Latvians duke it out for a spot in the quarterfinal and Team Slovakia face lowly Kazakhstan did not entice many — neither match was well attended.

World Juniors enthusiasts who showed up or tuned in on TV were rewarded with arguably the most exciting day of action thus far.

Captain Dalibor Dvorsky scored twice and set up two more goals to give the Slovaks a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame of Monday's opening contest. In the game's dying minutes, Team Kazakhstan managed to score twice while killing a major penalty to force overtime.

Buffalo Sabres prospect Maxim Strbak played the saviour in overtime, slipping the puck through Vladimir Nikitin's five-hole on the breakaway and helping his team avoid total collapse:

The win clinched third spot in Group B for Team Slovakia, earning them a place in the quarterfinals for the third-straight tournament.

Latvia-Germany was even more hectic.

The Germans needed a win in regulation to have a chance of playing in the quarterfinals. With the game tied 2-2 with 2:51 remaining, their head coach Tobias Abstreiter decided to pull the goalie on an offensive zone draw to give his team a 6to 4 man advantage.

The move immediately backfired:

Just 20 seconds later, with Germany's net still vacant, 2025 NHL Draft prospect David Lewandowski's one-timer sailed over the shoulder of Linards Feldbergs to serve up the day's second helping of 3-on-3 sudden death.

Mateiko continues to lead the way for Latvia

Washington Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko, who played shootout hero against Canada, showed off his lightning-quick release in overtime to give Team Latvia their third quarterfinals berth in four years:

The 6-foot-4, 201-pound forward has spearheaded the Latvian attack at the World Juniors: he possesses an impressive blend of skill and snarl that's emblematic of his team's approach.

When the Germans took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, Mateiko rallied his team together by scoring under a minute later.

All goaltender Linus Viellard could do was pray it hit him:

"We found a way," said Mateiko, after the game. "That probably wasn't our best game; Germany played well."

"But it's really fun to win in this tournament, I can tell you that!" he added with a smile.

It was a milestone victory for the nation: the only time they've ever won two games in the round-robin.

"It's really big for Latvia," said Linards Feldbergs.

"We are a small country, but we can do big things like we did today and [the] game against Canada."

Dvorsky, Pecarcik star as Slovakia survives late scare

On day two, we discussed how Slovakia needed more from Dalibor Dvosrky in his fourth World Juniors appearance. Yesterday's contest was the first time in the tournament he displayed the talent that convinced the St. Louis Blues to select him 10th overall in 2023.

Dvorsky is a terrific finisher, particularly in the thick of traffic in front of the net. He scored twice down low before dropping jaws with his setup for linemate Juraj Pekarcik:

Providing another helper for Pekarcik to make it 4-1 before the Kazakhstani comeback, Dvorsky finished with two goals and two assists.

Pekarcik, who plays for Moncton in the QMJHL, was also drafted by the Blues in 2023: 76th overall. The 19-year-old was named player of the game with an identical stat line of two goals and two assists.

This is the second tournament in which the St. Louis prospects have been deployed on a line together: their chemistry could prove pivotal for the team's success. Slovakia will take on the winner of today's matchup between Switzerland and Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals, with the loser facing Germany in the relegation round.

Parting notes

Truly one of the craziest finishes to a group in recent history:

  • 16-year-old forward Olivers Murnieks (Sioux City, USHL) had his best game of the tournament. The 2026 NHL Draft prospect set up the Latvians' first two goals before scoring an empty netter. He was a plus-three with three shots on goal.
  • Julius Sumpf (Moncton, QMJHL) continues to set the pace for Team Germany: the 19-year-old had two assists yesterday, taking his tournament totals to one goal and four points
  • There is currently a four-way tie for the top scorer in the event: Hradec Vojtech (Mladá Boleslav, Czech Extraliga), Axel Sandin-Pelikka (Skellefteå, SHL), Jakub Stancl (Kelowna, WHL), and Dalibor Dvorsky (Springfield, AHL) each have seven points
  • Only two goaltenders have played 100% of their team's minutes in the tournament so far: Latvia's Linards Felbergs (Sherbrooke, QMJHL) and Finland's Petteri "Showtime" Rimpinen (Kiekko-Espoo, Liiga).