2018 IIHF World Junior Championship Preliminary Round Preview
by Jim Christopher
Posted 12/26/17
After a shootout victory over Canada in the gold-medal game of last year’s World Junior Championship in Montreal, the United States is looking for its fifth title in tournament history.
Last year’s victory for the U.S. was their first gold medal performance since 2013 and with seven players returning to this year’s team, they will be looking to repeat for the first time in program history. They would become the first country to repeat at the tournament since Canada won five straight gold medals between 2005 and 2009.
Along with the champions and runners-up from last year, Group A will consist of Denmark, Slovakia and Finland, the gold medalists in 2014 and 2016.
The matchups in Group A will be highlighted by the highly anticipated matchup between Canada and the United States in the first ever outdoor game in the history of the World Junior Championships when they meet at New Era Field on Dec. 29.
Group B will consist of Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Belarus.
Group A
United States
Head Coach: Bob Motzko
Leading the way in Group A, the United States features 20 NHL prospects and 10 former first round picks. The U.S. is loaded with talent and experience, a perfect combination to help their efforts in repeating. Adam Fox (Calgary Flames) will bolster the blue line while adding an offensive touch. Fox was the leading point scorer during the World Junior Summer Showcase this past August with nine points (3+6) in five games.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Casey Mittelstadt will get a chance to show his future city how he can perform against top competition when he makes his World Junior Championship debut. Mittelstadt will certainly be a topic of discussion among local fans as he hopes to build off of his nine-point showing from the World Junior Summer Showcase.
Mittelstadt will be joined by Boston University forward and projected top-five pick in the 2018 NHL Draft is Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk currently has 14 points (4+10) in 19 games at BU.
Canada
Head Coach: Dominique Ducharme
The most successful country in the history of the tournament will be looking to avenge last year’s gold medal loss on their home turf. With 15 gold medals in the history of the program, Canada is a contender for the medal podium year after year.
Helping fill the shoes of last year’s IIHF Best Defenseman award-winner Thomas Chabot will be blueliner Victor Mete. Mete will be relied upon heavily for Canada as he has the most NHL experience among anyone in the tournament, appearing in 27 games for the Montreal Canadiens this season.
Goaltending expects to be one of the biggest strengths for the Canadians with Carter Hart projected to get most of the time in the cage. Hart, a second round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers, has compiled a 13-3-1 record to go along with a .961 save percentage and a 1.32 goals against average for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL this season.
Denmark
Head Coach: Olaf Eller
Building off of a fifth place finish in last year’s tournament – their best in program history – Denmark brings an even more impressive team to their fourth straight appearance in the World Junior Championship.
Goaltender Kasper Krog was a star at last year’s tournament as his .919 save percentage was third-best of all goaltenders. He is expected to get most of the time in net.
Oliver Larsen is the only returning defenseman from last year’s team and Jonas Rondbjerg, a third round selection of the Vegas Golden Knights, is one of their four NHL prospects. Denmark will have their biggest test in their first game as they take on the United States on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Finland
Head Coach: Jussi Ahokas
To say that last year’s performance from Finland was a disappointment would be an understatement. Finland became the first team in the history of the tournament to fail to qualify for the quarterfinals as defending champions. With a team including 19 players whose rights are owned by NHL teams, the Finns have the talent to make last year a one-year fluke.
Goaltender Veini Vehvilainen was a bright spot for the team last year as he led the tournament in goals against average (1.51) and save percentage (.931). Buffalo Sabres prospect, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will have the unenviable task to fill the shoes of Vehvilainen in front of his future hometown fans. Team captain and Calgary Flames first round selection Juuso Valimaki will look to put his name among the scoring leaders.
Slovakia
Head Coach: Ernest Bokros
The 2016 bronze medalists took a step back last year when they were bounced from the tournament thanks to an 8-3 loss at the hands of Sweden. Adam Ruzicka and Marian Studenic are the lone NHL prospects for the Slovaks. Studenic, a fifth-round selection for the New Jersey Devils, currently has 30 points (13+17) in 32 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
Slovakia will have to hit the ground running if they want to sustain any success in the tournament as their first taste of game action comes against Canada on December 27th at 7 p.m.
Group B
Sweden
Head Coach: Tomas Monten
Sweden comes into the tournament with six returning players from last year’s fourth-place team and includes potentially the biggest name among draft-eligible prospects, Rasmus Dahlin.
Dahlin, who is touted by many to be the first name called in the 2018 NHL Draft, will be the most-watched player at this year’s games. At 6-foot-2, 181 pounds, he is an excellent puck handler who excels at both ends of the ice. Dhalin is a dynamic player who will certainly draw a buzz from scouts and fans alike.
Not to be overshadowed by Dahlin is Buffalo Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander, who will make his third appearance in the World Junior Championship. Last year, he tied for the tournament lead with 12 points (5+7). With the combination of Nylander and Dahlin – along with 19 other NHL prospects – Sweden is certainly in the conversation to contend for the gold.
Russia
Head Coach: Valeri Bragin
Seven straight appearances on the medal podium for Russia tends to grow expectations for the Russians. The bronze medalists from last year lost to the eventual champions the United States in a shootout during the semifinal matchup.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Vitaliy Abramov has been lighting up the QMHJL the past three seasons scoring 93, 104 and 45 points, respectively. The offensive dynamo hopes to translate that success to help the Russians secure an eighth straight medal. Forward Andrei Svechnikov is expected to be a top NHL draft pick this summer as well.
Their biggest test in the preliminary round comes on New Year’s Eve when they take on Sweden in what should be one of the best games of the early stage.
Czech Republic
Head Coach: Filip Pesan
With a sixth-place finish at last year’s tournament, the Czech Republic has the ingredients to make a run at the podium this year. Martin Necas and Ostap Safin are two NHL prospects who look to lead the offensive production for the Czechs, and are expected to be the strength of the squad.
The Czech Republic will kick off the tournament with a game against Russia on Tuesday.
Switzerland
Head Coach: Christian Wohlwend
Switzerland gave the United States all they could handle in the quarterfinals of last year’s tournament as Nico Hischier helped propel himself to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft with a stellar performance. The Swiss, whose best finish came with a bronze medal in 1998, haven’t finished better than fourth since.
Phillip Kurashev, Nicolas Muller and Sven Leuenberger have to try to replace the offense provided by the team’s leading scorer last year if Switzerland hopes to advance further than last year’s squad.
Look for Switzerland to get off on the right foot when they open against Belarus on Wednesday.
Belarus
Head Coach: Yuri Faikov
Beginning with a matchup against Sweden on Tuesday, Belarus will be an underdog for most of the tournament. In their 24 appearances in the World Junior Championship, Belarus had their best finish in 2001 and 2002 when they finished ninth.
Forward Maksim Sushko is a draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers. Defenseman Vladislav Yeryomenko and forward Yegor Sharangovich could help improve their draft stock with a solid performance at the tournament as they are expected to be high selections in the 2018 NHL Draft.
