The Swedes have advanced to the World Junior Championship semi-finals, thanks in part to offence from Linkoping HC defenceman Gustav Forsling. Several other countries have received help from CHLers to either also reach the final four or avoid relelgation. 

by Derek O'Brien, with files from worldjunior2015.com

With only four teams remaining in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship from the original field of 10, the number of players from Champions Hockey League clubs has also logically decreased. From the 59 who began the tournament back on 26 December, only 16 CHL players – 12 on Sweden, three on Slovakia and one on Russia.

Among the 12 Swedes left is defenceman Gustav Forsling of Linkoping HC, a draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks. In Sweden's first five games, Forsling has turned in four two-point performances and his eight points tie him for fourth in overall tournament scoring with a five-point lead on the tournament's nearest d-man. Six of Forsling's eight points have come on the power play, and that's how he scored Sweden's first goal in Friday's 6–3 quarter-final win over Finland in a re-match of last year's final.

Also contributing a power-play goal to Sweden's victory over their Nordic rivals was Lulea Hockey's Lucas Wallmark, who made it 2–1 Overall Wallmark has five points in five games, one point behind Skelleftea's Axel Holmstrom – the two players will face each other in a few weeks in the CHL semi-finals.

“First we want to win the group and stay here in Toronto, that's our first goal.” Wallmark said earlier in the tournament – a goal the Swedes have accomplished. They're one win away from their second goal: “Then we want to go to the finals.” 

Both teams had the same number of power plays, but while the Swedes scored three times with the man advantage, the Finns were blanked.

"We can't win the tournament if we don't score on the power play," said Mikko Rantanen of TPS Turku, who did score one of Finland's three goals at even strength. "We didn't, and we lost. It's that simple."

Rantanen was one of 13 CHL players on the Finnish team – the most of any team in the tournament – and he was the highest scoring Finnish CHLer with four points – all goals. 

The 6–3 win by Sweden also featured two CHL goalies, with Djurgarden Stockholm's Linus Soderstrom out-dueling IFK Helsinki's Ville Husso. 

The Swedes will take on Russia in the first semi-final on Sunday. Russia features one CHLer – IFK Helsinki's Nikolai Goldobin, who has three points.

Along with host Canada, Slovakia round out the final four and are the biggest surprise to be there. Not only did they beat Rantanen's Finnish team in the group stage, but then shut out “big brother” Czech Republic in the quarters. The Slovaks are led by Sparta Prague's Martin Reway, the team's captain and leading scorer with six points.  Reway scored the game's final goal to finish off the 3–0 win – the second straight game that Reway scored into the emtpy net.

“I look like a specialist on empty-net goals,” the Montreal Canadiens draft pick joked. “I’m happy that the coach believes in me in the final minutes, the crucial moments of the game.”

Of the victory over the Czechs, he added, “It’s a very good feeling for all of us, and I think everybody in Slovakia is proud of us. I’m pretty sure they watched the game.” 

Overall, nine players from CHL clubs have at least four points in the tournament and four of those are from Switzerland, who have the benefit of having played six games. It wasn't a good tournament for the Swiss, who missed the quarter-finals, but they avoided relegation with a two-game sweep of Germany to finish ninth, meaning they will play in next year's tournament in Finland. 

"We did the job against Germany, so it feels good," said Geneve-Servette forward Noah Rod, a San Jose Sharks prospect. "We needed this win for the next generation of players, and we did it."

Like Reway, Rod finished with six points, tied for third among CHL players. Rod's teammate, Denis Malgin of ZSC Lions Zurich, finished with seven. 

WJC points leaders among players from CHL clubs