Biggest questions ahead of the 2023 World Junior Championship

The IIHF World Junior Championship has go ubiquitous -- successful hockey circles astatine slightest -- with the Christmas vacation season. And the tourney returns this twelvemonth to its accustomed spot of honor.

That's aft the 2022 title was shuttered successful December 2021 amid a spike of COVID-19 cases wrong the Edmonton "bubble," which was serving arsenic the tournament's venue. The lawsuit was yet restaged determination successful August, with Team Canada beating Team Finland 3-2 successful overtime to assertion gold.

So, if you're feeling immoderate déjà vu -- "wait, didn't they just crown a World Junior champion?" -- you're not wrong; Canada hasn't had agelong to lord its triumph implicit others. Them's the breaks.

Because Canada -- on with 9 different nations -- is backmost to battling for different WJC apical prize. Pre-tournament enactment was underway earlier this week and gives mode to preliminary circular games starting Monday.

The 10 participating teams beryllium successful 2 groups astatine 2 antithetic locations: Group A features Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Germany and Austria playing astatine Scotiabank Center successful Halifax, Nova Scotia, portion Group B has the United States, Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia astatine Avenir Center successful Moncton, New Brunswick.

Organizers didn't mean for Canadian cities to big the tourney again truthful soon aft Edmonton's back-to-back turn. In 2018, the IIHF announced Novosibirsk, Russia (for Group A), and Omsk, Russia (for Group B), would stock duties for 2023. But those plans changed successful February due to the fact that of the ongoing Russian penetration of Ukraine, which the IIHF condemned by not lone stripping Russia of its hosting rights but suspending teams from Russia and Belarus from planetary hockey indefinitely.

And so, the World Juniors instrumentality to Canada for a 3rd consecutive year. Once the playing tract has been whittled down successful abstracted locations, the apical 4 teams from each radical determination onto the quarterfinals, starting Jan. 2. The semifinals travel connected Jan. 4, and the bronze and golden medal games popular up connected Jan. 5. The bottom-ranked teams from each radical volition play a best-of-three bid successful relegation.

Before each that amusive begins, let's spell implicit large storylines to show and item cardinal players to support an oculus on. If past has taught america anything, there's ever thing unexpected up erstwhile the game's champion young endowment squares off.

Can Adam Fantilli outshine Connor Bedard?

There are nary guarantees erstwhile it comes to the NHL draught rankings and results. Just inquire Shane Wright.

This clip past year, determination was zero question -- oregon truthful it seemed -- that Wright would beryllium the No. 1 wide prime successful July. Instead, Montreal went mode disconnected publication by selecting Juraj Slafkovsky successful the apical spot and Wright fell to Seattle astatine No. 4.

Now, it's Canada's Connor Bedard who's connected way to beryllium taken archetypal successful June. His teammate Adam Fantilli would similar to beryllium the Slafkovsky-like spoiler.

But it won't beryllium easy.

Bedard has an impeccable résumé. In 2020, helium became conscionable the seventh subordinate (after the likes of Connor McDavid, John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad) to beryllium granted "exceptional status" by Hockey Canada to look successful the Western Hockey League astatine conscionable 15 years old. The pandemic interrupted Bedard's debut run with the WHL's Regina Pats, but the halfway finished 2021-22 with 100 points successful 62 games. He leads the WHL this play with 64 points successful 28 games.

Bedard, 17, is much than conscionable a scoring threat, though. The North Vancouver, British Columbia, autochthonal is besides an enviable playmaker and silky skater, possessing an incomparably wicked changeable and caput for the crippled that moves truthful quick, he's perpetually 1 measurement up connected the ice. He could beryllium the full package.

Fantilli forged a antithetic way than Bedard done his inferior career. The Toronto-area merchandise spent 2 seasons with the USHL's Chicago Steel from 2020 to 2022, wherever helium produced 110 points successful 103 games. Fantilli graduated from determination to the University of Michigan, and is midway done a palmy freshman run (26 points successful 16 games).

So, wherever mightiness Fantilli person an borderline implicit Bedard? In size, for one. The 18-year-old comes successful astatine 6-foot-2 to Bedard's 5-foot-10. Fantilli has imaginable arsenic a powerfulness guardant who's tenacious connected the forecheck and tin outduel opponents successful beforehand of the net. He's accelerated and skilled and could beryllium an eventual No. 1 halfway for an NHL team.

Scouts volition spot Fantilli and Bedard sharing a expanse for the adjacent fewer weeks. It's an accidental for some players to showcase the champion they person to offer. Could 1 tourney marque oregon interruption a franchise-altering decision? Likely not. But Team Canada's stars volition gully a spotlight regardless. What they bash with that attention? We'll beryllium watching to find out.

Can Team USA get backmost connected top?

Team USA entered the 2022 tourney arsenic reigning golden medal winners pursuing a triumph implicit Canada the erstwhile winter. They coiled up leaving Edmonton (Part II) with a disappointing fifth-place finish. Two years ago, the USA came successful sixth.

Overall, the Americans person enjoyed ample occurrence astatine past World Juniors though, capturing 4 gold, 1 metallic and 3 bronze medals since 2010. And they've already gone 2-0 successful pre-tournament enactment to date.

If Team USA wants to adhd much hardware, it volition request continued performances from its seasoned skaters.

Enter Luke Hughes.

Team USA's skipper and antiaircraft scoring person had six points successful 5 games astatine the 2022 WJC and has enactment unneurotic a bully play truthful acold astatine Michigan (18 points successful 20 games). The 19-year-old -- member to NHLers Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes -- volition beryllium looked to for enactment connected and disconnected the ice, to anchor the American bluish enactment and to bolster peculiar squad units. Hughes is simply a terrific skater who was awesome successful pre-tournament enactment scoring a game-opening extremity for the U.S. He'll apt beryllium astatine the forefront of immoderate American occurrence to come.

Then there's the guardant group, headed by Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud. Cooley was conscionable drafted 3rd wide by Arizona successful July and wields a crisp two-way crippled and blistering wrist shot. Getting immoderate acquisition during his freshman play astatine the University of Minnesota (25 points successful 19 games) should lone person helped Cooley mature and marque him reliable and unsafe successful each situation.

Snuggerud is Cooley's teammate astatine Minnesota (second successful NCAA scoring, with 27 points successful 20 games frankincense far). While this is his WJC debut, Snuggerud appears unfazed by a large stage. He was beardown successful the aboriginal games, boasting a size (6-foot-2) and accomplishment that tin complement anyone he's playing with.

Cutter Gauthier -- already connected Team USA's apical enactment with Cooley and Snuggerud -- is different subordinate to watch. Ditto for Sean Behrens connected the backmost extremity and Kenny Connors successful the bottommost six rotation. What should acceptable Team USA isolated is its depth. On insubstantial -- and by the looks of those 2 games successful the books -- there's imaginable for this to beryllium a multifaceted foe immoderate hostile would fear.

If the Americans tin debar hurting themselves via unforced errors and careless penalties, and there's coagulated goaltending up from Kaidan Mbereko, especially, Team USA has to similar its chances of being successful the top-three premix again successful January.

Can a definite Swede rise his stock?

You cognize Bedard. And Fantilli. And however they are apt to beryllium the apical 2 prospects successful this year's draught (as of now).

Now accidental hullo to Leo Carlsson.

The Swedish guardant is simply a projected top-five prime successful 2023 who could propulsion his mode up a fewer draught boards with a palmy World Juniors showing. What could that look similar for the 17-year-old? It starts from the instauration he's already built.

Carlsson's been honing his skills the past 2 years with Orebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League, facing high-end contention that's helped rapidly mature his game. The halfway has consistently produced points this play -- 14 successful 25 tilts to day -- but Carlsson's interaction goes beyond scoring goals. He's a play-driving forward, is bully successful modulation and gets to the nett and creates for linemates. An October video of Carlsson deftly stickhandling done a assemblage rapidly turned heads and showcased what sets him isolated from different skaters his age.

Another defining Carlsson prime is his preternatural calm that leads to confidence. The teen appears unaffected by added pressure, which bodes good for Carlsson's imaginable to pierce the NHL ranks sooner than aboriginal erstwhile helium is drafted.

Sweden took location bronze astatine past season's WJC and earned 5 different medals -- including 1 golden and 3 metallic -- since 2012. It is simply a motivated clump again this year, and it's the eventual accidental for Carlsson to marque his lawsuit arsenic a top-three enactment travel June.

It's worthy noting that different subordinate gunning for akin information won't beryllium connected show the adjacent mates weeks -- astatine slightest not successful this tournament. Matvei Michkov would beryllium highlighting a roster for Team Russia if determination was one. Some person already anointed the 18-year-old guardant a aboriginal look of Russian hockey. But alternatively of representing his state close present successful Canada, Michkov has inked a woody to suit up for SKA St. Petersburg successful the KHL done 2025-26.

Michkov's draught imaginable is complicated. Given the endowment and precocious hockey IQ Michkov flaunts, NHL clubs volition inactive beryllium funny successful securing his rights for down the enactment -- Kirill Kaprizov was drafted successful 2015, but didn't marque his NHL debut until the 2020-21 season. But volition Michkov travel disconnected the committee earlier oregon aft Carlsson? And if the Swedish standout does capable astatine World Juniors, tin helium summation the wrong way connected Michkov? Oh, the drama.

Can an underdog contender emerge?

Now, "underdog" is simply a comparative word here, utilized mostly to picture "not Canada oregon the United States."

We already cognize those North American squads are expected to excel and are routinely considered the ones to beat. So, who mightiness beryllium up to the task?

Finland

Only Canada, the U.S. and Finland person won golden astatine the past 10 World Juniors. And Finland was 1 overtime marker distant from topping Canada connected the podium successful August. Months later, Finland is primed to marque different beardown propulsion successful the tournament.

Finland's squad doctrine works from the defence out, truthful Aleksi Heimosalmi and Otto Salin should beryllium mounting a code connected the bluish enactment that extends everyplace else. Even though skaters similar Joakim Kemell and Niko Huuhtanen tin people (and the Finns are hopeful Brad Lambert starts showing up connected the scoresheet, too), defence is Finland's archetypal priority. If it tin instrumentality to its script, Finland has a bully accidental of getting a medal.

Czechia

The plucky radical finished 4th successful past season's tournament, a chaotic thrust that included losing to Latvia and past eliminating the undefeated Americans. It was Tomas Suchanek's unthinkable show successful nett that delivered the second outcome, and Suchanek has returned to backstop Czechia. He mightiness not beryllium an elite netminder, but Suchanek works hard and plays down a defence led by David Jiricek. The Columbus Blue Jackets' imaginable has had a terrific play successful the AHL, averaging a constituent per crippled and is supported by Tomas Hamara and Stanislav Svozil.

Up front, it's Buffalo Sabres' imaginable Jiri Kulich -- who has 16 points successful 24 AHL games this play -- and New York Rangers' enactment Jaroslav Chmelar -- a standout freshman astatine Providence College -- challenging opponents. All successful all, Czechia's got existent imaginable to surprise.

Sweden

Recently, Sweden has failed to crook fantabulous preliminary circular performances into gold-medal crippled appearances; it hasn't been to that signifier since 2018. The Swedes' ngo to instrumentality starts with the antecedently mentioned Carlsson and extends to respective cardinal players showing up.

Goaltender Carl Lindblom takes implicit for Jesper Wallstedt, and there's precocious hopes for what the Golden Knights' imaginable tin bring fixed the large play he's having successful the Swedish nonrecreational league, HockeyAllsvenskan. Sweden's biggest weakness mightiness beryllium its deficiency of top-tier defensemen, truthful the guardant radical volition beryllium relied connected adjacent much to thrust Sweden's success. It has Carlsson there, on with Filip Bystedt (a first-round prime by San Jose successful 2022) and Fabian Lysell (a 2021 first-round prime by Boston).

The question people is Vancouver imaginable Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who hasn't produced a constituent successful the SHL since November, but has game-changing imaginable erstwhile he's going. He'll person thing to beryllium astatine this tourney and that could beryllium a immense boost for Sweden.

Can Austria sidestep relegation?

What is relegation? Glad you asked!

At the extremity of the WJC's round-robin, the 2 last-placed teams volition play a best-of-three series. Whichever squad wins volition beryllium allowed backmost astatine adjacent year's tournament; the loser is relegated to Division 1 Group A.

How does Austria debar this fate? Another bully question!

Austria has injected immoderate amusive into the WJC since reaching top-tier presumption successful 2021. That hasn't resulted successful further success. The IIHF removed relegation the past 2 seasons, truthful Austria didn't person to interest astir slipping backmost determination (and fixed Austria was 0-4 and outscored 28-1 successful no-relegation 2020, it genuinely dodged a bullet). But there's nary specified luck this clip around.

Unfortunately, Austria won't person its biggest sanction successful Marco Kasper. The Detroit Red Wings imaginable opted to proceed moving connected his crippled with the SHL's Rogle BK. Bummer for Austria. Also not astir is goaltender Sebastian Wraneschitz, who made 119 saves successful 2 games during the 2021 tourney that mightiness person really resulted successful a triumph if he'd gotten immoderate extremity support.

There's inactive anticipation for Austria, though. Forward Vinzenz Rohrer has been lighting up the OHL with 32 points successful 26 games for the Ottawa 67's, and 2023 draft-eligible Ian Scherzer tin physique disconnected a beardown showing successful past summer's tourney with different two-way show here. On the backmost end, support your eyes peeled for David Reinbacher. He had 2 assists done 4 games astatine the past WJC, and has collected 14 points successful 28 games with the Swiss league's Kloten HC this season. A dual menace similar Reinbacher instantly improves his country's odds.

It'll beryllium tough, though. Austria has Sweden, Czechia and Canada to face. It's Austria's last crippled against Germany that could archer the tale. If Austria hasn't earned immoderate points and neither has Germany, there's a accidental Austria doesn't descent into a relegation matchup that apt pits it against Latvia. Stars volition request to align for Austria, but otherworldly showings from Scherzer, Reinbacher and Rohrer could assistance get them there.