The Jets battled back down 3-0 to earn a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Sunday night. Tonight, on Christmas Eve, the NHL is on its 1st of three days off for the Holiday break. Sitting 30th overall in the NHL league standings wasn’t what the Jets had planned for Christmas this season, but that’s just the situation they’re in as of tonight.

They’ll be plenty of time to recap how the Jets season is going at the end of 2025, but today the attention turns to the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. This year’s tournament will be played in Minnesota, where Team USA will be attempting to win their 3rd straight Gold Medal. Three NHL teams will be sending 7 players to this year’s tournament and several teams will be sending none, while the Jets will be sending two players: Sascha Boumedienne and Alfons Freij.

On December 5th, 2025, Boumedienne and Freij were named to Sweden’s inital roster. Both players made the final roster, and will now be representing the Winnipeg Jets at this exciting yearly tournament. The pair of Swedish defencemen are expected to make an impact with a country that will be among the favourites to win this year’s Gold Medal.

Sascha Boumedienne was drafted in the 1st round, 28th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 18-year old left-handed defenceman from Stockholm, Sweden is currently spending his 2nd full season playing for the Boston University. In 17 games with a top 20 University team in the USA, Boumedienne has 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points. Boumedienne has been described as an offensive transitional defenceman who excels in skating, puck moving and offensive upside, including as a powerplay specialist.

Alfons Freij was drafted in the 2nd round, 37th overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 19-year old left-handed defenceman from Solvesborg, Sweden is currently spending his 1st season with Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League. In 25 games in the top Swedish league, Freij has 0 goals and 2 assists for 2 points. Freij has been described as a similar player to Boumedienne, excelling in puck moving. Freij is also noted for having a high hockey IQ and defensive awareness.

Jets fans will most likely be cheering for Team Canada as usual as this tournament, but Team Sweden will be fun to watch with these two talented Jets prospects. Below is Team Sweden’s schedule for the 2026 IIHF World Championship, where you can catch a glimpse of the Jets future blue line featuring Boumedienne and Freij.

*Times listed are in CST (the same as what it will be in Minnesota for game time)*

December 26th: Sweden vs. Slovakia – 12:00 pm CST

December 28th: Sweden vs. Switzerland – 1:00 pm CST

December 29th: Germany vs. Sweden – 12:00 pm CST

December 31st: USA vs. Sweden – 5:00 pm CST

The Jets will return to NHL action on Saturday, December 27th, which is an off-day for Boumedienne, Freij and Team Sweden during the round robin. Up first for the Jets post holiday break is a tough Central Division opponent, the Minnesota Wild. Puck drop for this game at Grand Casino Arena will be just after 6:00 pm CT. Stay tuned here at Jets Nation for all of the latest Jets news, plus previews and recaps on each Jets game this season.