The World Junior Championship is a holiday tradition unlike any other.
This year is an exceptional one.
Even though the tournament is still available during peak vacation, it’s now happening in mid-summer and not post-Christmas. Confused? Let’s recap.
The 2022 WJC was scheduled to continue as normal last December. COVID-19 fears led to the move of the WJC to Edmonton, Alberta. The location was relocated under strict “bubble” conditions. The International Ice Hockey Federation had hoped that strict protocols would allow the event’s success. Spoiler alert: It didn’t.
The IIHF has been operational for four days. was forced to call things off After the United States lost its preliminary round, Russia, Czechia, and Russia both forfeited their games due to mounting COVID cases within their ranks. The IIHF did not know whether the tournament could possibly be rescheduled at that time.
A new plan was announced in April. The IIHF announced that it would stage the 2022 edition of its event, which will take place in Edmonton, from Aug. 9-20. The results of games played in December last year would be thrown out. Players who were born in 2002 or later will be eligible to continue participating. So, here we are.
All eyes will be on the U.S. favorites and Canada when preliminary action starts (again). These countries represent two groups of participants: Group A includes the U.S. and Austria, Germany and Sweden, respectively, and Group B includes Canada, Czechia and Finland, Latvia, and Slovakia.
Austria kept its place in a top league despite placing 10th last year. Normally, it would have been forced to resign, but U20 tournament cancellations changed regulations, and Austria is still in the top division.
The quarterfinals will be played by the top four teams in each group, and they begin on August 17. The semifinals will follow on Aug. 17, followed by the bronze and gold medal games on August 20.
We’ll be looking at some of the most interesting players and storylines in this year’s tournament before things get moving. The World Juniors are a drama unlike any other, as hockey fans will know. Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in December, before the actual start of the tournament. This version has been updated in order to reflect what has happened between then-and-now.
Can Team USA win back-to-back?
Spencer Knight was able to save 34 shots and Trevor Zegras had two points. Team USA beat Team Canada 2-0 to win the 2021 World Juniors gold medal.
This was Team USA’s fifth WJC title, following victories in 2004 and 2013. 2013 and 2017. The U.S. has never won gold consecutively. There’s no better time than the present to give it another chance.
Neal Leaman, Team USA’s 2021 gold-winning head coach, will once again be on the bench. Leaman was the Providence College men’s coach for 11 seasons. He also won an NCAA title.
Team USA will have four of its champion-winning skaters back in 2021, in Brock Faber and Landon Slaggert. Tyler Kleven has retained 17 of the original 25 players.
Team Canada will be a prominent player in the U.S.’s quest for a repeat, despite having suffered significant losses from their previous season. Nine Canadian players who were on Canada’s December roster this season, including Owen Power (and Kaiden Guhle), are not returning. Canada has a strong goaltending team, highlighted by Dylan Garand, the Canadian Hockey League’s goalie-of-the-year.
Canada was also the last country to win consecutive WJC titles. It won five gold medals straight from 2005 to 2009, making it the last nation to do so. Will the United States be next to win back-to-back WJC titles?
Can Connor Bedard be victorious — again?
Technically, Connor McDavid was actually the last 16 year-old to represent Canada at the World Juniors.
McDavid left McDavid’s tracks in December and McDavid followed McDavid’s lead. The 16-year old Connor Bedard got off to a strong start. Canada’s winter selection camp was open to Bedard, who had a chance of being the 13th forward. He was named to the final roster and became the youngest ever player to score four goals in one game in tournament history during Canada’s defeat of Austria in the preliminary round. The IIHF ended the championship one day later.
Bedard then returned to the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats, where he scored an incredible 76 points in 38 games.
It is no surprise that Bedard, who has Canada’s top-line with Mason McTavish as his partner, enters the tournament as the favorite to be No. In the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Bedard will be drafted as the No. 1 pick.
Canada’s coach Dave Cameron claimed that Bedard saw a huge improvement in his game over the three months that passed between each championship. According to Cameron, he feels better than he did in the second half last season, especially when it comes down to his face-off percentage. Bedard will try to showcase those achievements on an international stage.
There’s no reason for us to doubt his ability. Bedard has always been an overachiever. As a 15-year old, he was the first WHL player to be granted extraordinary status to join the Pats. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bedard was Canada’s leading scorer during exhibition play last winter, scoring two goals and providing four assists.
However, Canada didn’t expect Bedard to play a significant role. It has all changed fast. There are high expectations for Bedard to deliver on a team hungry to go back to the top.
Similar applies for Logan Cooley from the USA. He was part of the original WJC roster. He had one assist in the preliminary round game prior to the COVID shut down. Leman believed Cooley was a great player in the match against Slovakia, and expected that he would rely more on Cooley from there.
Given all that Cooley has gone through, this should be particularly true. He enjoyed a fantastic year with the US National Team Development Program, scoring 75 points in 51 matches. This resulted in Cooley being selected by Arizona as the third overall draft pick last month. Confidence boost? You bet.
Cooley is keen to get pro fast, but is determined to play at Minnesota next year. The World Juniors will be a perfect transition into Cooley’s freshman year. The Pittsburgh native skater is highly skilled and could play a top-six USA role.
Where’s Russia?
It is the first time that Team Russia will not be represented at a World Junior Championship.
They have been part of the tournament since 1974, when it was first held. They also claim the most medals (37) of all participating nations. Russia was also represented at the December championship. However, all teams from Russia or Belarus were ruled by the IIHF in February. suspended from competing in any IIHF-sanctioned events. The verdict was reached amid Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine.
“The IIHF does not have any political power and cannot influence decisions regarding the war in Ukraine,” said President Luc Tardif, IIHF. “We have a duty to all our participants and members, and must ensure that our events are safe for all participating teams in the IIHF World Championship program.
With Russia out, Latvia is now in. Latvia will make its first appearance in the tournament’s history since 2017 and it will be its seventh overall. Latvia was second in the tournament’s Division 1A competition, which took place in December. Belarus was the winner and would normally be Russia’s choice in this situation, but Belarus is banned.
New faces are likely to emerge.
All the players who played in the December tournament could have been invited back for the summer showcase. They won’t all be able to return, so it is necessary for some reinforcements.
Say hello to (a few) of the new guys.
William Dufour, F (Canada)
Dufour was not selected for Team Canada his first attempt. But that was in the past. The New York Islanders’ Prospect put together an amazing 2022 season with Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. Dufour was the league’s leader in goals (56), and second in points (116). Dufour won the QMJHL Michel-Briere trophy and was named league MVP. Dufour was awarded another MVP title as he led the Sea Dogs in a Memorial Cup Championship win this spring. This trophy came after Dufour tallied the most points (8) and goals (7) during the tournament. Dufour is a goal-scoring machine that Canada desperately needs. He should be a lock to play big minutes on even strength and the power play.
Sean Behrens, D (USA)
Technically speaking, Behrens isn’t new to the tournament. Behrens was on Team USA’s roster in December, but he was unable to travel to the tournament because he had tested positive for COVID-19. He will have another chance to play now, and will be coming into the championship with a high. Colorado prospect Just finished his freshman season at University of Denver. He had 29 points in 37 games and was instrumental in leading the Pioneers to the national title. Behrens, a skilled overall skater who has excellent puck-moving skills, will be an exciting addition to Edmonton’s ice rink.
Thomas Bordeleau, C (USA)
Bordeleau has waited for this opportunity for a very long time. He had been scheduled to represent Team USA in 2021 and last year’s Winter Olympics, but was prevented by COVID-19 protocols. The U.S. played a minor role in the men’s World Championship. He should have had a greater role at the juniors. Bordeleau plans to be a top six center and use his creativity to generate lots of offense for the U.S.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki F (Sweden).
Keep an eye out to this Vancouver Canucks draftee. Lekkerimaki already has a stellar international season for Sweden, scoring a tournament-high 15 goals in the U18 World Championship (where the gold medal was won) and five goals at Hlinka. The 18-year old is already generating a lot of buzz about his potential role in leading the offense for Sweden in this championship.
Aatu Raty, F (Finland)
Raty’s season was a turning point. Raty started poorly with Karpat in Finland, and saw little ice-time during the team’s six first games. Raty was traded to Jukurit in October, from Karpat. He played under Olli Jokinen, who was also his head coach. It was a great match and Raty did a fantastic job in his new quarters, scoring 13 goals and 40 points over 41 games. He was left off Finland’s roster last year and is now centering their top team with Roni Hirvonen, Joakim Kemell, and could be the tournament’s highest scorer. Talk about a glowing glow.