2023 World Junior Championship Preview: Part I
The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is nearly upon us. The 2022 event was completed this past August after the original tournament was canceled last December.
The Canadian WJC squad went 4-0-1 in group play and won the gold medal against Finland. Next week they play the same group as before except for swapping Finland for Sweden. They should easily dispatch Austria and Germany, but Czechia and Sweden could make their lives difficult.
Canada has named just 22 players to their roster for the World Junior Championship. Sharks prospect Benjamin Gaudreau will start in his first WJC. Los Angeles Kings have loaned Brandt Clarke to the WJC roster. Shane Wright will center Canada’s top line with Brennan Othmann on his left wing. Dallas” Logan Stankoven and Arizona‘s Dylan Guenther will anchor the second line.
Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli are two of Canada's most exciting players. They are both college players and could be NHL draft eligible in the future. Thomas Milic is a 19-year-old goalie who plays for Seattle Thunderbirds.
Canada has a good roster with no major flaws. The team has the guns to outscore any opponent.
Sweden won the 2014 World Junior Championship. They were beaten by Finland in the final game. Sweden will be looking to win gold in 23rd World Jockeying Championship under new coach Magnus Hävelid.
Sweden is preparing for the 23rd World Junior Championship. Carl Lindbom is the likely starter in goal. Calle Odelius is Sweden's top scorer. There are two undrafted forwards on the roster. Sweden is without star prospects Simon Edvinsson and Elias Salomonsson.
The Swedes are bringing two 17-year-old prospects to Canada for the World Junior Championship. Axel Sandin Pellikka and Leo Carlsson are both highly regarded prospects.
The team is going to play Canada in group play. They will have to beat the defending champions at some point to win the 2023 title.
Czechia finished third in Group A a few months ago. They will need to improve their goal differential against Germany and Austria to make it further.
The Czech Republic is preparing for the 2022 World Junior Championship. Five of the Czech blueliners are returning from the WJC. The group will be led by Blue Jackets prospect David Jiriceck. Jakub Brabenec has 25 points in 28 QMJHL games for Charlottetown this season.
Eduard Sale is a first-round draft eligible prospect. He has six points in 26 games at the pro level in Czechia. Sale played at 2022 U18 World Junior Championship.
2023 World Junior Championship Preview: Part I.
2023 World Junior Championship Preview: Part I. Germany made an impression at the 2022 WJC. They beat Switzerland and Austria in group play last year and even gave Sweden a fight. However, they lost to the Finns in the quarterfinals.
Germany is bringing three NHL prospects to Halifax and Moncton for the 2022 World Junior Championship. The starting goaltender is Nikita Quapp, who struggled in last year's tournament. Washington's fifth-round pick in 2021, Håkon Hänelt, will lead Germany's offensive attack. Julian Lutz is a second-rounder in 2022.
Nikita Quapp is starting for Germany against the Czechs and Sweden.
Austria finished last at the 2022 World Junior Championship. They scored just four goals during the tournament. There was no relegation and promotion so they lived to fight another year.
Austria is returning six defenders and one goalie for the 2022 tournament. None of the players are NHL prospects. Lukas Hörl, Lorenz Lindner, and Maximilian Preiml bring some experience to the team. The defence will struggle to contain the offensive dynamos on Canada and Sweden.
Austria has a number of draft-eligible players on their team for the 2023 World Junior Championship. David Reinbacher, Ian Scherzer and Max Stiegler are the most likely to play. Benedikt Oschgan probably won't play, but he's impressed in the AlpsHL this season.
