Day 4 at the World Juniors was a big one, with arguably the tournament’s top six teams all in action across four games, including two really good ones.

Here are The Athletic’s daily takeaways and standouts from prospects writers Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler.

• Sweden defeated Germany 8-1. Anton Frondell (CHI) scored twice and had a game-high nine shots on goal. Viggo Bjorck (2026) also scored twice. Leo Sahlin Wallenius (SJS) had two assists and was named Sweden’s player of the game.
• Czechia defeated Finland 2-1 in overtime in one of the best and most consequential early games of the tournament. Adam Jiricek (STL) scored the winner and played nearly 26 minutes. Emil Hemming (DAL) scored Finland’s lone goal.
• USA beat Slovakia 6-5 in a thrilling back-and-forth game. Top Slovak draft eligible Tomas Chrenko (2026) had two goals and an assist. James Hagens (BOS) led the way for the Americans with two big goals.
• Canada routed Denmark 9-1.

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Bjorck and Chrenko draft stocks rising

There was a lot of talk coming into this tournament about the larger-than-usual number of top draft-eligibles who were playing this year. I think Bjorck, Sweden’s second-line center, and Slovakia’s Chrenko have been the most impressive of the bunch through their team’s first three games.

Bjorck is Sweden’s youngest player and has been one of their best. He has three goals and has averaged 18:17 per game. He was named Sweden’s player of the game against Switzerland and could have been named again on Monday. He’s also playing center as a 17-year-old and is 39-25 in the faceoff circle (61 percent). Bjorck has looked crafty with the puck, has flashed a ton of vision despite not yet having an assist to show for it, and has run the flank/half-wall on one of the power-play units really well. He has also looked strong on pucks in battles and just seems to consistently affect play.

Sweden has him listed at 5-foot-10 (NHL Central Scouting has him at 5-9) and 176 pounds, and that’s always a talking point when you’re a center, but scouts are talking about it less and less with him. Early on this season, there was chatter about him going in the late first/early second, but those I’ve talked to recently have all been high on him. He’s got skill, craft and competitiveness, and he’s a top 10-15 prospect in this draft for me.

Chrenko is now up to five goals and six points in three games. He’s very skilled and has an NHL shot that he has placed under the bar a few times now. He’s a 5-foot-10 winger who has been productive in Slovakia’s pro league this year and should be picked in the top two rounds, but might be a first-round evaluation for me. — Wheeler

Jiricek making early claim for top D

The internet was abuzz with Jiricek’s highlight reel overtime winner. While it was a great high-skill play to secure a big win for the Czechs over Finland, Jiricek has been a nightly standout so far. He’s been a hard, pain-in-the-ass competitor for opponents who has broken up a ton of plays while making plenty of his own offensively. The towering right shot looks like a future top-four NHL D for the Blues and is the early leader for the best defenseman in this tournament.