The big teenager tournament is here!
Just the Facts:
What is it?: Teenager hockey at the highest level being played in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada!
When is it?: The games start December 26th, and the medal round begins just after New Year’s Day on the 2nd.
Where can I watch it?: TSN in Canada, NHLN in the states, apparently TUBI will also have it if you stream your hockey.
Who’s the defending champs?: The United States!
Why should I care?: Why, you get to see the NHL stars of tomorrow face off for World Juniors glory! Gavin McKenna gets to wow you before he even gets the chance to play for an NHL team!
Also it’s pretty inoffensive hockey that people get super wound up over while you’re puttering around the house, so there aught to be some good yucks at certain fanbases (read: Canada’s) expense. Also, the relegation round is always a fun treat for those who want to see imperfect, desperate hockey, a personal favorite of mine.
Bruins at the World Juniors
As the Bruins prospect system is pretty bare, they were lucky to have even Christopher Pelosi be a camp attendee, but as he was cut, there are no Bruins at the World Juniors this year.
Group Previews
Group A at Canadian Tire Centre – Group of Death (for Germany and Latvia)
- Canada seems like the will be as good as they usually are; but like last year, there’s a lot of consternation around the decisions made, and it appears that focuses down in one specific area; the defense. A lot of Canada’s defense from the top 10 of the last year’s draft did not make their way to the . Don’t get it twisted; this is still a very good team and will happily supp on the blood and bones of lesser squads, but I can’t help but feel like the Red and White (and Black, sometimes) left a lot of security on the table, especially since Canada’s biggest weakness right now is in net; their closest positive is Carson Bjarnason, who’s…alright? The rest are just kinda there. It’s a clear issue that Hockey Canada should probably focus on…when they aren’t focusing on the twelve bell fires their organization seems to constantly be under these days. Either way, their elimination game is probably going to be decided by meeting the Americans in the knockout round, so get ready to enjoy a fun-filled tourney, Canucks!
- I think I’ve made my opinion on Team USA pretty clear; enormously talented, extremely skilled, very fast, probably a medal finalist…but they have the deeply annoying tendency to fart around until the third period to win. It’s how they do things during the prelims, and I don’t think they’re going to change that as they actually tend to round into form right around the time the games count for something. Nearly every player on this roster is set to be part of an NHL or AHL squad at some point in their life; with the States bringing more NHL prospects than even Canada, and of course, they’re bringing the consensus 1st overall pick for 2025 along for the ride. Their goaltending looks stout as any in the tournament right now, with Trey Augustine and Hampton Slukynsky walking into this tournament with .930 SV%’s at bare minimum. While I’m often a little frustrated in how they do their business, it’s clear that this is now the US’s group to lose, and I don’t think they’re due for another shock Slovakia loss. Also Cole Eisermann is on this team, so by the law of “Being From Newburyport” I am temporarily suspending my love of the Czech national team and going all in on the United States.
- While Finland’s roster has a lot of NHL Prospects, it’s clear they had a very specific list they wanted to bring to the tournament that was overwhelmingly close to home, and it was a trim one; only needing one cut. Finland will have to hope that this selective process will pull them out of the doldrums of which they currently face; as they’ve gone medal-less in the last two tournaments, most recently failing to stop a come-from-behind Bronze Medal victory against Czechia. That has to stick in the nation’s craw, because they’ve ensured that a top 3 Liiga goalie; 18-year-old Petteri Rimpinen, will suit up for Leijonat; giving them a baseline from which their extremely mobile defense can get the puck back up to their forwards, for whom the phrase “great shot” seems to be a universal trait. NHL Prospects like Konsta Helenius, Julius Miettinen, Tuomas Uronen, and Emil Hemming will be a major part of that vaunted offense. They’re also putting a lot of faith in creating zone exits as quickly as they can, as guys like Aron Kiviharju, Kalle Kangas (top 5 name in this tourney), Veeti Väisänen, and Sebastian Soini will be called upon for their ability to get the puck back fast and heave it up ice as quick as they can. Granted, they’ll still have plenty of tough challenges ahead, especially in a group where they have to play Canada and the States within three days of one another, but if everything clicks into place they should be a lock for the knockout round.
- I am lumping Latvia and Germany together because the only chance they have to a Group win is against each other. Both teams have entered a period of famine for NHL prospects, and while they do have a couple of intriguing potential mid-round choices for the upcoming draft, the painful reality they face is that they are both stuck with some true terrors as bunkmates in this group. Which is a shame; Germany has really showed a lot of promise over the past few years, and Latvia always brings the Of the two, I expect that maybe Latvia will be the one to escape the executioner’s blade, but only barely.
Group B at TD Place – Czeching the Kronor
- Sweden is once again looking really good again this year. Unfortunately for them, that’s never been an indicator of a medal, as no matter how talented they are, they never can seem to find that extra step to meet the Canadians and Americans in terms of true top-tier talent at this tourney. They’re showing up with a bevy of NHL prospects, many of whom like Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Theo Lindstein, and Tom Willander are vets of the previous years’ tourney and they understand well what it will take to face the knockout round. Otherwise, they are as Tre Kronor as they get; defensively responsible, crushing two-way play, and have excellent goaltending; highlighted by the gigantic Marcus Gidlöf from the Leksands IF system. The prelims are never Sweden’s kryptonite, and their schedule coming into it doesn’t look terribly dangerous aside from the Czechs at the end, so once again; Tre Kronor has a path to a medal, they just need to find that extra spice to get there.
- Czechia showed up last year with a talented, free-wheeling roster with plenty of ways to transition the puck up-ice and make life miserable for their opponent. This year, while missing some higher end prospects, Czechia appears to have a roster just as good as last years, with Eduard Sale, Adam Zidlicky, Adam Jecho, and Jakub Stancl being highlights as forwards, and a defense that seems primed to be just as dangerous as the year before with Adam Jiricek, Jakub Dvorak, Jakub Fibigr, and Matteo Kočí ready to create a helluva zone exit. The big question mark is gonna be in goal for the Czechs; Michael Hrabal had a great year at UMass Amherst, but showed up to last year’s tournament and did not meet the moment; playing some of the worst hockey of his career. This year, he’s just as good as last year in league play…and now the question remains…can he actually bring that to the world stage? Because if he can, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Czechs can keep their medal streak alive.
- Now that a number of Slovakia’s major prospects from the last three years have both aged out and are either on NHL teams and in NHL systems, it’s clear they are once again a power in international hockey. How much of one? Well, this is what the World Juniors is here to divine. Getting to take Dalibor Dvorsky, Juraj Pekarčík, Miroslav Satan (no, not that one, another one) and Maxim Strbak along definitely helps, but the Slovaks are going with the interesting choice to get younger and fast. Jan Chovan, Luka Radivojevič, Tobias Tomík, and gigantic goalie Michal Pradel are all eligible for the 2025/2026 NHL Draft; all of whom carrying the bright hopes of their country to remain a major power in this tournament. They usually are a pain in the rear to play no matter what they do, so the Czechs and the Swedes will have to keep their heads up; The US can tell you all about the dangers of treating this team like an also-ran.
- Positionally sound and eternally offensively challenged, Switzerland is a team for the freaks who just like watching reasonably okay hockey that’s played really well and only picks up a win or two before quietly exiting the tournament. Leon Muggli of EV Zug (and the Caps at some point) will be the single biggest positive on the blueline for the Swiss. Whereas many hopes for offense comes from guys like Rico Gredig, Robin Nico Antanen, Leo Braillard, and 17 year old Lars Steiner, who’s showing plenty of promise in his short time with Rouyn-Noranda. I don’t quite know if they’re going to be much other than a team of upsets and individual impressive games, but they usually tend to wake up around the New Year, and that makes them a unique threat during the prelims.
- Hi, Kazakhstan! Would you like to play Germany towards the end of the tournament? That’s Great! Don’t ask how you’re getting there. The process will be unpleasant. That said, your uniforms are always pretty cool so I really cannot overstate how much I enjoy your presence.
What’s the Schedule like?
It looks like this! It starts bright and early with Slovakia and Sweden at TD Place at Noon on the 26th!
All that said, we at SCoC say a hearty GOOD LUCK to all players at the World Juniors!
Go for Gold!