Two Washington Capitals prospects are bringing home some hardware after the 2026 World Junior Championship concluded on Monday night.
Milton Gastrin, a 2025 second-round pick, earned a gold medal as Sweden defeated Czechia 4-2. Gastrin was an unused healthy scratch in the final for the Swedes, but did play in the team’s first six games of the tournament.
Petr Sikora, a 2024 sixth-round pick, took home silver with Czechia, his second consecutive medal after winning bronze last year.
The World Juniors gold medal is Sweden’s third in their history and their first in 14 years (2012).
Czechia was down 3-0 with just 2:24 remaining in the third period before scoring two goals with their goaltender pulled. Matej Kubiesa potted their second marker with 24 seconds left on the clock, but they were unable to tie the game as Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg guided home an empty netter to close the tournament’s final game.
Gastrin finishes the tournament with zero points, playing just 9:35 of ice time per game. He recorded seven shots on goal and took two minor penalties. The 18-year-old center will be eligible to return for a much larger role at next year’s tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer.
Sweden was led in scoring by Philadelphia Flyers second-round pick Jack Berglund, who notched 10 points (3g, 7a) in seven games. Anton Frondell, the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, led the team in goals with five.
On the losing side, Sikora was held off the scoresheet, finishing his final World Juniors tournament with nine points (2g, 7a) in seven games. The 20-year-old centerman skated 20:07 of ice time in the loss and fired four shots on goal.
Sikora, Czechia’s captain, accepted the second-place prize from IIHF president Luc Tardif.
Gastrin will now return to the second tier of Swedish pro hockey, the HockeyAllsvenskan, where he has 18 points (8g, 10a) in 25 games for MoDo. Sikora will head back to HC Ocelari Trinec in the Czech Extraliga, where he has six points (2g, 4a) in 12 games.
