Donna Spencer
Quinton Byfield skates during an intersquad game at Hockey Canada s men s under-18 hockey camp in Calgary, Alta., Monday, July 29, 2019. .THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh December 23, 2020 - 7:09 AM
A capsule look at the 10 countries competing in the 2021 world junior men s hockey championship Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 in Edmonton (ranked in order of 2020 finish).
CANADA
Half a dozen players return from the team that won gold in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in dramatic fashion. Trailing by two in the third period, Canada scored three to beat Russia. Tournament MVP Alexis Lafreniere was eligible to play again for Canada, but the New York Rangers didn t release the No. 1 pick in this year s NHL draft. Devon Levi was slated to start in goal for Canada s lone pre-tournament game against Russia on Wednesday, but the three goalies haven t got much time to separate themselves prior to the tournament.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Barring things going completely off the rails in the next 48 hours, the 2021 edition of the World Juniors will get underway on Christmas Day.
There will be some slight changes, as is the norm in the COVID-19 world, with Edmonton’s Rogers Place hosting all round-robin games instead of the tournament being split between Alberta’s capital and Red Deer.
Also, there will not be any promotion or relegation this year, which means all 10 teams in this year’s event will be returning to Alberta next winter for the tournament.
When it comes to the talent on display, several countries have benefited from the delayed start of the National Hockey League season as they’ve been able to add players that would more than likely be halfway through their pro campaigns had things been normal.
World Junior Championship Group A preview
Canada s forward depth fuels repeat bid; Finland will rely on defense by Adam Kimelman @NHLAdamK / NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor
Canada s deep, versatile group of forwards could make it the favorite to win the IIHF World Junior Championship for the second straight year.
That depth will be important after forward Kirby Dach, their captain and a Chicago Blackhawks forward, injured his right wrist during a pre-tournament game against Russia on Wednesday and will not play in the tournament.
Even without Dach, Canada s remaining 13 forwards each is a first-round NHL draft pick. That includes four players who returning from the 2020 WJC championship team: Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings), Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres), Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals) and Dawson Mer