Sweden overcame Canada to finish top of Group A ©Getty Images

Sweden ensured they completed the Group A at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship with a 100 per cent record after they overcame defending champions Canada in Helsinki.

Having secured top spot with a convincing win over Denmark yesterday, the Swedish team were hoping to show their credentials as potential champions by defeating the Canadian team, who have put in inconsistent in the Finnish capital.

Goals from Alexander Nylander and Gustav Forsling in the opening seven minutes saw the group leaders take a 2-0 advantage, but Mitchell Stephens hit back to give the Canadian team a boost heading into the second period of the match.

Adrian Kempe’s strike saw Sweden extend their advantage and put their opponents on the brink of suffering two defeats in the group stage of the tournament for the first time since 1998.

Their loss was confirmed after Anton Karlsson and Rasmus Asplund scored in the closing period of the match, with a goal from Mitch Marner proving only a consolation effort for Canada, as they lost the contest 5-2.

"I think we took this as a playoff game with all the crowd and so on," said Sweden's Marcus Pettersson.

"We took the tempo that’s in the playoffs and played that game."

Finland defeated the Czech Republic to finish second in Group B
Finland defeated the Czech Republic to finish second in Group B ©Getty Images

Following their defeat Canada finished in third position in the group, with the United States having ensured they qualified for the quarter-finals in second after they overcame Denmark.

After a closely fought first period which saw the score tied at 1-1, Sonny Milano, Colin White and Anders Bjork scored help the American team seal an impressive 4-1 victory.

Russia, meanwhile, secured top spot in Group B, edging past Slovakia 2-1 in their tie with Yegor Rykov scoring the decisive goal.

Having won the group, Russia are now set to for a quarter-final match against Denmark, who placed fourth in Group A, while Slovakia will face the daunting task of taking on Sweden in their last eight match.

Finland set up a match against Canada, after they claimed a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Czech Republic to leapfrog them into second in the group standings.

The Czechs are now due to meet the US in the quarter-final, while a relegation playoff between Switzerland and Belarus is due to take place next Tuesday (January 5). 

Tomorrow is a rest day with the tournament due to resume on Saturday (January 2).