Honka’s first major tournament after being drafted was the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, which was a substantially better showing for him than the previous year. The Finnish roster was strong, with ranks filled by returning players and a number of 2019 NHL draft selections, including Lassi Thomson, Mikko Kokkonen, goaltender Justus Annunen, and Honka’s Carolina Hurricanes draft-mate Patrik Puistola, in addition to top-rated players eligible for future drafts, most notably, Aatu Räty. In contrast to the 2019 tournament, Honka saw substantial minutes, ranking third for defenceman time on ice and averaging 16:26 minutes per game. He notched an assist on Patrik Puistola’s goal against Sweden, Finland's first goal of the tournament. Several days later, Honka scored a one timer against Switzerland off of an assist from Ville Heinola (secondary assist by Kristian Tanus) and was named Best Player of the Game as selected by the team. The Finns were competitive throughout but ultimately fell to Sweden in the bronze medal game, finishing the tournament in fourth place.