The World Junior Championship (WJC) rightfully gets the lion’s share of the attention over the holiday season, and rightly so, as it’s the best under-20 hockey tournament of the year and an annual holiday tradition for a lot of people around the world’s hockey powerhouse countries. Winnipeg Jets fans will be keeping a close eye on Canada’s WJC team in particular as top prospect Brayden Yager is captaining a 2025 club hoping to rebound from a disappointing quarterfinal exit a year ago.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
However, the Spengler Cup also deserves some eyeballs over the festive season. The longstanding annual tournament played in the gorgeous Alpine city of Davos, Switzerland is a bit of an oddball — it brings different European professional clubs to compete every year, takes only a week, and also features a Team Canada squad comprised of Canadians playing around Europe — but it’s nonetheless entertaining to see different clubs duke it out on the big ice each year.
Jets fans will recognize seven players — five Canadians, one American, and one Finn — participating in this year’s tournament with past connections to the organization. Let’s dive in.
Sam Gagner — Canada
Sam Gagner, who will captain Canada’s Spengler team, is of two former Jets attempting to help his country capture their first trophy since 2019. The veteran of 1,043 NHL games — best known for his three separate stints with the Edmonton Oilers — suited up for 48 with the Jets in 2022-23 on a one-year contract, recording eight goals and six assists for 14 points before his season was cut short due to hip surgery.
This will be Gagner’s first action of the 2024-25 season as while he hasn’t retired, he is an unrestricted free agent without a team who also hasn’t played in Europe.
Logan Shaw — Canada
Logan Shaw is a bit more of a Jets’ deep cut. The now 32-year-old, who has become well-known as a reliable scorer at the American Hockey League (AHL) level, suited up for 35 games with the Jets in 2019-20, recording three goals and two assists.
Shaw, who has spent the past three seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies but has been loaned to Canada for the Spengler, also played parts of two seasons with the Manitoba Moose, potting 31 goals and adding 22 assists for 53 points in 79 games.
Saku Maenalanen —…
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