2025 IIHF World Juniors Odds, Predictions, Betting Breakdown

Written by: Matthew Eichhorn Fact checked by: Jaclyn Hurst

The 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship is officially over where the best prospects from across the globe competed for junior hockey supremacy. Team USA won back-to-back gold medals for the first time in its nation’s history. Here are the final standings:

🥇 Gold – USA
🥈 Silver – Finland
🥉 Bronze – Czechia

We’re here to provide you with the latest world juniors odds, predictions, and betting breakdowns so you can make this your most profitable junior hockey betting experience yet. We also provide reviews on the best Canadian sports betting apps so you can find a trusted and reliable oddsmaker to take your action to this tourney.

Team USA To Win 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship

–333

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World Juniors Odds 2025 Gold Medal Game

The stage is set for an exciting gold medal game between defending champions team USA and Finland. Here are the odds for the World Juniors gold medal game on January 5, 2025 (courtesy of Sports Interaction):

World Juniors Odds 2025 Bronze Medal Game

Here are the odds for the World Juniors bronze medal game on January 5, 2025 (courtesy of Sports Interaction):

How to Bet on World Juniors Odds

Follow our guide below to bet on World Juniors odds in four simple steps:

1. Choose a sportsbook: View our list below or check out our guide to hockey betting sites to find the oddsmaker that’s right for you. Be sure to take into account the odds offered, sportsbook features, banking options, and customer support.
2. Create an account and deposit funds: Sign up using one of the links below then fund your sportsbook account by making an initial deposit.
3. Place your bet: Pick your wager and add it to your bet slip.
4. Track the game: Once your bet is locked in, all that’s left to do is watch the action unfold and sweat out your wager!

Pro tip: don’t deposit more than you’re willing to lose. Check out the responsible gaming section at your preferred sportsbooks to set deposit limits for your account.

Bet On World Juniors Odds With Top Canadian Sportsbooks

The top sportsbooks in Canada for betting on the World Juniors include Sports Interaction, TonyBet, Bet365, BetVictor, and Bet99. These sportsbooks are collectively renowned for their trustworthiness, broad spectrum of betting opportunities, and effective handling of financial transactions.

• Sports Interaction stands out for its comprehensive coverage of NHL betting and other types of sports wagering, along with swift withdrawal times and attractive welcome bonuses.
• TonyBet is recognized for offering competitive odds and a diverse range of betting options, including in-play betting.
• Bet365, despite some past issues in coverage for the World Juniors, remains a popular choice, offering extensive betting options for the tournament and various other international ice hockey events.
• BetVictor offers a sensational catalog of both game lines and prop bets for bettor to choose from.
• Bet99 is appreciated for its reliability and efficient payment processing, adding to its appeal for those looking to bet on the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship.

World Juniors Betting Odds Favourites

Below we’ve highlighted the top team competing to win gold at the 2025 World Juniors and their odds to claim the spot as the top U20 hockey nation.

USA (-333)

As the reigning gold medalists from the 2024 World Juniors, Team USA is looking better than ever as they hope to win back-to-back tournaments for the first time in their nation’s history. After a dominant display in last year’s tournament, the Americans are hungry to keep their appetite for gold fed.

Sporting a deep and determined roster comprised of some of the top young talents in hockey, keep an eye out for top USA players such as Capitals prospect forward Ryan Leonard, and Wild prospect defenceman Zeev Buium. Looking to make a name for themselves at the 2025 World Juniors for Team USA are highly-touted 2025 NHL Draft prospects defenceman Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings, and James Hagens out of Boston College.

Currently holding the best odds to win gold at the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championships at -120, the Americans are holding their own at this year’s competition.

World Juniors Championship Information

2025 Schedule and Location

The 2025 World Juniors are taking place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is hosting games between two different venues. All games throughout the tournament will be played between the Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place arenas.

The 2025 World Junior Championship tournament kicked on Boxing Day, December 26th. The preliminary round games are complete and as of January 2nd the knockout round begins between the top qualifying teams from each Group. The gold medal game is slated to take place on January 5th at 7:30 EST at the Canadian Tire Centre.

World Juniors 2025 Groups

These are the preliminary groupings for this year’s tournament:

Group A

• United States (gold)

• Canada (eliminated)

• Finland (silver)

• Latvia (eliminate)

• Germany (eliminated)

Group B

• Sweden (eliminated)

• Czechia (bronze)

• Slovakia (eliminated)

• Switzerland (eliminated)

• Kazakhstan (eliminated)
  

Top Contenders At 2025 U20 IIHF World Championships

Historically, the only teams worth backing to win the 2025 World Juniors are Canada, the USA, Sweden, or Finland. In the entire history of the World Juniors, 46 of 48 gold medals have been won by either one of these squads or Team Russia (who is not eligible to compete), with the lone exceptions being Czechia in 2000 and 2001. With 95.8% of these gold medals having gone to one of five teams, this makes numbering down the potential gold medal candidates to those four squads.

Canada (Eliminated)

After a poor showing at the 2024 World Juniors, Team Canada repeated it’s quarter-final failure against Czechia again this year. Despite suffering a shocking loss to Latvia earlier in the prelims, this year’s roster was eager to have their opportunity to shine while donning the red and white. But a severe lack of scoring and not being able to stay out of the penalty box proved to be their downfall.

Last 10 World Junior Champions

With this year being an exception, home ice advantage can also play a pivotal factor in deciding who ultimately emerges with the gold as seven of the last 10 host countries have made it to the gold medal matchup, with four of the last ten tournament hosts going on to win it all in that span.

Age and experience has also played a major factor in garnering success at the World Juniors as only two of the last 10 teams to capture gold have had an average team age under 19.5 years old.

World Juniors Odds Betting Trends and Analysis

The Over 5.5 has cashed at a 69% rate (38-17) since the start of last year’s IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. To learn more about some of the most actionable betting trends for the 2025 World Juniors, keep scrolling!

2025 IIHF World Junior Championship of Overs

Dating back to the pre-COVID era of the World Juniors, the ‘Over 5.5’ goal total has emerged as one of the most reliable betting trends. Remarkably, 65% of round robin and medal round games in this tournament over the past four years have ended with six goals or more.

Recently in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, betting on the outright regulation draw has been a profitable trend, with a success rate of 22% since the 2023 tournament in terms of world junior odds. A bettor wagering $100 on each draw in every round robin or medal round game since 2023 would have a record of 12-43, but still earn an average profit of +$67 per game, regardless of the outcome.

Interestingly, betting on the draw has been even more lucrative in the medal rounds during the same period, with 6 of the last 15 medal round matchups going into overtime – a statistic that might greatly interest hockey bettors as we approach the semi-finals.

With this in mind, let’s explore some other key betting trends in the medal rounds of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

IIHF World Junior Betting Trends – Medal Round

In the medal round of the World Juniors over the past four years, the most profitable betting trend in terms of world junior odds has been wagering on the regulation draw. Despite a cashing rate of just 22%, this wager has yielded an impressive return on investment of +1.70%.

Remarkably, a bettor placing $10 on regulation draws for each of the last 38 medal round games would have accumulated a profit of +$258, averaging +$6.80 per game, regardless of the outcome. In the same period, the most reliable betting trend in the medal round has been backing the favourite, which has succeeded 66.6% of the time, winning 26 out of the last 39 playoff round games.

For the most part, the medal round has brought a number of low scoring games, with 56.4% of games in the medal round over the last four years having seen 6 goals or less.

Utilize these actionable hockey betting trends to inform your wagers on the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, taking advantage of world junior odds with some of the leading sportsbooks in Canada.

Key Players to Watch in 2025 World Junior Championship

In this year’s World Junior Hockey Championships, the top players to watch are mostly comprised of players from Team Canada and USA. Between the two teams alone they sport 18 first-round draft picks. Along with this plethora of first round draft picks, there are several top prospects eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft set to compete such as Porter Martone (CAD), Jack Ivankovic (CAD), Sam Hillebrandt (USA), Blake Fiddler (USA), and James Hagens (USA).

A standout talent that has already showcased their ability to excel at the World Junior Championships is USA’s Gabe Perreault. After netting 10 points including three goals at the 2024 World Juniors, good enough to rank him as the sixth-highest scorer of all skaters competing, Perrault is sure to be one of the top contributors once again for the Americans this year.

Historical Context and Past Winners in Previous IIHF World Juniors

Throughout the history of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, the most dominant teams have been Canada and the Soviet Union/Russia. Canada leads with an impressive total of 20 gold medals. The Soviet Union/Russia, considered together, have amassed 13 gold medals. These two teams stand out as the most successful in the tournament’s history.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Ice Hockey Federation took significant action against Russia and Belarus. The IIHF suspended all Russian and Belarusian national teams and clubs from participating in every age category and in all IIHF competitions or events.

Other noteworthy teams include Finland, the United States, and Sweden, each showing strong performances: Finland with 5 gold medals, the United States with 6, and Sweden with 2. However, their successes, though significant, have not reached the consistent heights of Canada and Russia.

Czechia, including its past as Czechoslovakia, hold 15 total medals historically, including 2 golds, while smaller contributors like Slovakia (2 bronze) and Switzerland (1 bronze) have also made notable appearances on the podium.

Last Year’s World Junior 2024 Final

The gold medal game of the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship was an exhilarating showdown between Team USA and Team Sweden, two powerhouses of junior hockey. Their matchup was the culmination of a tournament filled with surprises and intense competition, and it delivered as a battle between the best young talents in the sport.

Team USA entered the game undefeated with a 6-0 record and demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill throughout the tournament. They showed their ability to bounce back under pressure, most notably in their semi-final game against Finland where they overturned a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2. Key players like Cutter Gauthier and Jimmy Snuggerud had been pivotal in their journey, showcasing why they became top NHL prospects.

Team Sweden, last year’s hosts, also had an impressive run to the final, marked by a 5-0-1 record. Their semi-final victory over Czechia, where they came back from an early deficit, was a testament to their tenacity and strategic play. With standout performances from players like Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Sweden proved that they were a formidable opponent capable of rising to the occasion.

The United States was last year’s favourites as reflected in the 2024 World Junior odds (-143). Sweden held home-ice advantage which made them a strong contender (+110). Team USA ultimately came out on top winning their sixth championship, defeating host Sweden 6–2 in the gold medal game.