6:51 AM
Associated Press
The World Junior Championship is a holiday tradition. It should look a little different this year.
The 2021 tournament was moved due to concerns over COVID-19 and played in a bubble with no fans allowed to watch. The tournament will be allowed 50% capacity for spectators when it begins on Sunday in Red Deer, and this year the teams from around the world have been playing in the city.
The organizers have been quick to pivot in all areas.
The pre-tournament schedule was canceled and each team will play one game on Thursday before the preliminary round action starts.
The tournament's perennial favorites from the U.S. and Canada will be watched closely. Group A has Canada, Finland, Germany, Czechia and Austria, while Group B has the U.S., Russia, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland.
Austria finished in 10th place last year, but still retained its place in a top division. The cancellation of U20 tournaments altered the regulations for this year.
The top four teams from each group will play in the quarterfinals. The gold and bronze medal games will be held on January 5.
We are checking in on some of the major storylines and more intriguing players in this year's tournament. Hockey fans know that there is no comparison for the drama the World Junior can bring.
Can Team USA go back-to-back?
Team USA shut out Team Canada 2-0 in the gold medal game of the World Junior tournament in 2021.
Team USA has won the WJC title five times. Winning gold in consecutive years is something the U.S. has never accomplished. There is no time like the present to give it another chance.
Team USA won the gold medal under the leadership of head coach Neal Leaman. Providence College's men's basketball team won an NCAA title in 2015.
Team USA has six skaters returning from last year's championship-winning roster, including captain Jake Sanderson, alternate captains Matty Beniers and Brock Faber, and backups Tyler Kleven and Brett Berard.
Team USA's roster has some championship experience, but no one has played in the NHL yet, compared to three players on Team Canada who have played in the NHL. Canada won five gold medals in a row from 2005 to 2009.
Will the U.S. be next to go back-to-back?
Owen Power can make history.
Owen Power has been in existence for a year.
The defense helped Canada recover from a 0-3 start at the World Championships and eventually win gold, playing over 24 minutes per elimination game.
Power was selected first overall by Buffalo in the entry draft in July of 2021.
Instead of going straight for the NHL, the 19-year-old went back to play for the University of Michigan. Power could potentially have a historic run at this World Junior tournament, having yet to make his big-league debut. Power will be the first player to ever win gold at both the World Championships and World Junior before playing in an NHL game if Canada goes all the way.
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Once things get underway, the blueliner will have a lot of responsibility. Power is a smart defensive player with good instincts and he also has a booming point shot. That's a lot for an opponent.
Will the competition be able to contain him?
Is it possible that Logan Cooley can seize the opportunity?
The first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft is expected to be Canada's Shane Wright.
This tournament is a chance for the American-born player to show why he's going to be the first one taken.
The 17-year-old forward is on the U.S. National Development Team and is one of four Team USA players who are draft eligible in 2022. The spotlight may be even brighter now that center Thomas Bordeleau has been released due to a positive COVID-19 test.
At Team USA's camps, Cooley spent more time on the wing than down the middle. Losing Bordeleau in the second round of the 2020 draft by San Jose changes things for the U.S. up front.
What impact could a tournament have on the draft? If he can show off his defensive skills as a top-six center? It could be huge.
Can a teenager make a mark?
The last 16-year-old to play for Canada in the World Junior was named Connor.
There's another person following in the footsteps of another person.
Bedard made his country's roster after a strong showing at Canada's selection camp. It's an elite group that Bedard is part of now, joining other 16-year-old selections for Canada: Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza, Jay Bouwmeester, and Sidney Crosby.
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Bedard has overachieved before. He was the first player in the history of the Western Hockey League to ever be granted exceptional status. Bedard was the team's leading scorer through exhibition play with two goals and four assists, so maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise.
Bedard isn't projected to play a huge role for Canada at the moment, but that can change quickly. When Auston Matthews was drafted, he was a 13th forward for Team North America in the World Cup. He was on the top line. Anything can happen in these tournaments.
How many heads can Bedard turn?
Can a contender emerge?
It's easy to talk about Canada and the U.S.
Let's not forget about the other countries.
The Top Defenseman of the 2021, Topi Niemel, is one of 10 players returning from last year's third place finish.
Russia finished fourth in the WJC in 2021, but has some of the best goalies. Yaroslav Askarov is playing in his third tournament and was the 11th overall pick by Nashville in 2020. Expectations are high that he can help the Russians win another medal.
Sweden had a disappointing fifth-place finish last year. It will have two players between the pipes, with the first being Simon Edvinsson, who was the No. 6 overall pick in Detroit. That is a notable foundation of talent.
The upcoming COVID-19 cloud could change anything at any time, and there are almost always some surprises along the way at World Junior.
Will there be a Cinderella story this time? We will be watching.
