Andrea Leigh Cardin / HHOF-IIHF Images
Edmonton, Alta. – Canada has advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, following a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic on Saturday night.
Canada’s co-captains provided the necessary offense to get the job done, as Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Dylan Cozens opened the scoring, followed by Vancouver Giants defenceman Bowen Byram.
Cozens, a prospect of the Buffalo Sabres, continued to fill the net, opening the scoring with his seventh goal of the tournament. After breaking up a Czech zone entry, Cozens turned and took a lead feed from Connor McMichael before sneaking a shot through Czech goaltender Nick Malik for a 1-0 Canadian advantage.
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Photo Courtesy of Matthew Murnaghan/Hockey Canada Images
Braden Schneider flashes a smile during a practice for Team Canada at Rogers Place in Edmonton this week.
Braden Schneider and Kaiden Guhle took different paths to make Canada’s roster for the 2021 World Juniors.
Schneider, who is from Prince Albert and plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings, just missed out on playing for last year’s gold medal winning side but was able to earn his way on the blueline in his second and final attempt earlier this month at the selection camp in Red Deer.
“Last year was a big learning experience for me and I grew more than I ever would have had I made that team,” Schneider said during a press conference on Monday.
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.
Canadian NHL team prospects at the 2021 world juniors
Team Canada Assistant Coach Michael Dyck talks what progress the team has made since the start of training camp and where he sees team chemistry going down the line in a press conference.
Emily Sadler | @EmmySadler December 22, 2020, 10:04 AM
Every holiday season, the world juniors gives hockey fans a glimpse of the future of the game both on the international stage as well as in the NHL. With so many top NHL prospects hitting the ice at once in best-on-best competition, the tournament is a great way to check in on your favourite team’s next stars.