The world junior hockey championship is a holiday tradition.
It is an exception.
During peak vacation time, the tournament is still happening, but it is happening in the summer. Are you confused? Let's talk about it.
The WJC was scheduled to be played in December. The location was moved due to concerns about COVID-19. The International Ice Hockey Federation wanted the event to go off without a hitch. Yes, it did not.
The United States, Czechia and Russia forfeited their preliminary round games due to mounting COVID cases. It wasn't known at the time if the tournament could be rearranged.
There was a new plan in April. There will be a restage of the event from August 9-20. The games that took place in December would be thrown out. The eligibility of players who were born in 2002 would be retained. Here we are.
All eyes will be on the United States and Canada when preliminary action begins. Group A includes the U.S., Austria, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, while Group B includes Canada, Czechia, Finn, Latvia, and Slovakia.
Austria finished 10th in the top division last year. The cancellation of U20 tournaments altered the regulations and they are still in the mix.
The top four teams from each group will play in the next round. The gold and bronze medal games will be held in August.
Before the tournament starts, we're looking at some of the major storylines and more interesting players. Hockey fans know that there is no comparison for the drama of the World Junior Championship. The story was posted in December before the tournament started. What has changed between then and now has been accounted for in this update.
Team USA shut out Team Canada 2-0 in the gold medal game of the World Junior Championship in 2021.
Team USA has won five WJC titles, the most of any nation. The U.S. has never won gold in back-to-back years. There's no time to waste.
The head coach of Team USA will be back this year. Providence College's men's basketball team won an NCAA title in 2015.
Team USA has four skaters returning from that championship-winning roster in 2021.
Team Canada has suffered a lot of losses in the past, but they will be looking to repeat in the U.S. Owen Power and Kaiden Guhle weren't part of the December roster. The Canadian Hockey League's goalie of the year is Dylan Garand.
Canada won five gold medals in a row from 2005 to 2009. Is the US going to go back-to-back?
The last 16-year-old to play for Canada in the WorldJuniors was namedConnor.
The (then) 16-year-oldConnor Bedard was off to a great start in December. At Canada's winter selection camp, Bedard had a chance to be the 13th forward. He became the youngest player in tournament history to score four goals in a game when Canada beat Austria. The championship was shut down one day after it began.
Bedard produced an amazing 76 points in 38 games for the Pats.
It's no wonder that Bedard is the favorite to be the first pick in the NHL Entry Draft in three years.
Three months between one championship and the next made a huge impact on Bedard's game, according to Canada's head coach. The center told reporters this week that he felt better when it came to his face-off percentage. Bedard will be trying to show off some of the improvements.
He can. Bedard was the first player in WHL history to be granted exceptional status when he joined the Pats at the age of 15. When Bedard came to last winter's camp, he was Canada's leading scorer with two goals and four assists.
Bedard wasn't projected to be a big part of Canada. It has changed quickly. Expectations are sky high for what Bedard can do for the team.
It's the same thing for the USA's LOGAN CHINLEY. He was on the original WJC roster and had an assist in the first game of the playoffs. Leman thought that Cooley played well in the match against Slovakia and that he would rely on him more from there.
It should be true now that all that has happened for Cooley. He played for the U-18 squad and collected 75 points in 51 games. He was drafted third overall by Arizona in the NHL Entry draft. It's a confidence boost? You're right.
He wants to go pro as soon as possible, but he will play at Minnesota next season. His freshman year should be a good time to watch the WorldJuniors. The Pittsburgh native is a highly skilled center who can take on a top-six role for the USA and be toe-to-toe with Bedard.
Team Russia will not be included in the World Junior Championship.
They have been involved in the tournament since it began in 1974 and have won the most medals. The championship took place in December. The teams from Russia and Belarus were not allowed to compete in any IIHF-sanctioned events. Russia's invasion of the Ukranian was the reason for the verdict.
Luc Tardif said in a statement that the IIHF is not a political entity and can't influence the decisions being taken over the war in Ukraine. "We have a duty of care to all of our members and participants and must therefore do all we can to ensure that we are able to operate our events in a safe environment for all teams."
Latvia is now in after Russia left. This will be Latvia's first appearance in the tournament in two years. The tournament's Division 1A competition saw Latvia place second. Russia would usually take the spot in this instance, but it has been banned by the government of Belarus.
The players from the tournament could have returned. Not all of them will need some reinforcements.
A few of the new guys, say hello.
William Dufour is a Canadian.
He did not make Team Canada at the first try out. At that time, that was the case. The New York Islanders' prospect put together a great season with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Dufour was the league's Most Valuable Player, and he didn't stop there. The Sea Dogs won the Memorial Cup this spring and Dufour was named the Most Valuable Player. Dufour has the goal- scoring prowess that Canada needs and should be a lock for big minutes at even strength and on the power play.
Sean is from the United States.
It's not completely new here. He made Team USA's roster in December but couldn't travel to the tournament because of a positive test for carbon dioxide. The defenseman will be coming into this championship on a high and will have another chance to play. The Colorado prospect just finished his freshman season at the University of Denver where he produced 29 points in 37 games and helped guide the team to a national title. His ability to move pucks will make him fun to watch in the city.
Thomas Bordeleau is from the United States.
The opportunity has been waiting for Bordeleau. He was supposed to play for Team USA in the winter of 2021 and then again in the summer of the following year. During the men's World Championship, the 20-year-old played a small role for the U.S. He should be in charge of the juniors. Bordeleau projects to be a top six center, using his creativity and high end skill set to generate plenty of offense for the U.S.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki is fromSweden.
You should keep an eye out for this person. Lekkerimaki won the gold medal in the U18 World Championship for Sweden and also scored five goals in the Hlinka tournament. There is no surprise that the 18-year-old is generating a lot of attention about how he will help lead Sweden's offense in this championship.
Aatu Raty is from the Finn Islands.
The season was a turning point for Raty. The Islanders' prospect didn't get much ice time through the first six games of the Karpat's season. In October, Raty was traded from Karpat to Jukurit, where he was a member of the hockey team. Raty put up 13 goals and 40 points in 41 games in the perfect match. He's centering the top line with Roni and Joakim and could be the tournament's top scorer. It's a glow up.
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