With the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Hockey Championship recently concluded in Ottawa, the planet’s best men’s 20-and-under puck-shooters and puck-stoppers will be coming to Minnesota in roughly 11 months, and those who know the event commonly known as “World Juniors” say the State of Hockey is in for a crazy few weeks.

The global hockey event will unfold in the Twin Cities between Dec. 26, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026, as the U.S. goes for a gold medal three-peat.

With two wins and a shutout last week, Leevi Merilainen was an easy choice for the Ottawa Senators Prospect of the Week for Jan 6-12.

GP W L OW OL Pts GF GA Minnesota 12 4 3 3 2 20 36 34 Montreal 10 5 2 2 1 20 29 25 New York 10 3 3 3 1 16 29 22 Ottawa 10 4 4 0 2 14 22 26 Boston 10 2 4 2 2 12 21 25 Toronto 10 3 5 0 2 11 24 29

The Top 100 People of Power & Influence in hockey are featured annually in The Hockey News' Money and Power issue, available at THN.com/free. At No. 1 is NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

A lot of things had to happen for Leevi Merilainen to get this chance, but until further notice, the Ottawa Senators net belongs to him.

The league had previously set the record at a neutral-site game between Ottawa and Boston in Detroit (13,736) last season. But Sunday night’s draw of 14,018 fans at Denver’s Ball Arena – home of the NHL ’s Colorado Avalanche and NBA’s Denver Nuggets – is now the largest crowd to watch a pro women’s hockey game in the U.S.

This weekend’s game at the Videotron Centre is the first of two Takeover Tour games for the Charge, who also play the Toronto Sceptres on Feb. 16 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Both venues, with capacity of 18,000 and 19,000, are either sold-out or close to it.

The Ottawa Senators surprised the NHL when a hot streak in December landed them squarely in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Senators have gone 2-3-1 th

The Ottawa Charge put in an all-around performance to beat the home New York Sirens in front of the seasons smallest crowd in New Jersey.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin's home was burglarized on Saturday, the same day the team hosted the Ottawa Senators.

Alex Ovechkin's OT goal was his 874th career goal, putting him 20 away away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894.