World Juniors primer A team-by-team guide to the 2019 under-20 championship

The IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship, known colloquially as the World Juniors, is hockeys premier annual prospect event that gives us the feel of playoff intensity smack in the middle of the NHL season. For many, its the closest thing hockey fans have to March Madne s, except this tournament features kids who are locks for NHL stardom. LeBron James never played in the NCAA Tournament. Kobe Bryant? Yeah, he was too cool for school. For hockey players, its a little different. If youre a top prospect under the age of 20 and want to gain some traction on your climb towardan NHL career, playing at the World Juniors most certainly is an implied requirement. MORE: Of course, not every notable NHLer gets a chance to represent his country for two weeks in the winter. But thats only because they were either never invited to try out, or were cut from the team before the tournament started. Yes, its that big a deal. Run down the list of hockey greats, and they have a WJC merit badge on their sash. Gretzky? Check. Super Mario? Check. Lidstrom? Crosby? Ovechkin? McDavid?Check, check, check and check. Rosters for the 2019 World Juniors are packed with the NHL stars of tomorrow and the storylines that make the event and a growing . Here's a one-stop primer for everything there is to know about thecompeting nations and what to watch for. Canada The Canadians may be the reigning champions, but any hope of repeating will have to be accomplished with a lineup that is dealing with injuries to key players. They will be without big playmaking center Gabe Vilardi (Kings), who is dealing with back i sues, and speedster Alex Formenton (Senators) . Team Canada is still strong at center regardle s of how healthy the wrist is of Jaret Anderson-Dolan (Kings), as Cody Gla s (Golden Knights), Morgan Frost (Flyers), Nick Suzuki (Canadiens) and Barrett Hayton (Coyotes) provide them with the best collection of under-20 pivots of any team in the world. WORLD JUNIORS: The defense is green but capable, as four of the rearguards were 2018 draftees. Led by all-world playmakers Ty Smith (Devils) and Evan Bouchard (Oilers), the Canadians should have no i sue initiating breakouts and keeping opponents honest with the threat of long stretch pa ses. Theres no Carter Hart between the pipes this year, so the goaltending situation likely becomes a game-by-game competition between Mike DiPietro (Canucks) and Ian Scott (Maple Leafs). Even with the injuries, this is a stacked roster with a power play that should make teams pay for their on-ice transgre sions Jalen Graham Jersey . Czech Republic A recent knee injury won't keep Filip Zadina from going to the World Juniors, a relief tothe Czechs medal hopes. The Hurricanes opted totemporarily release Martin Necas from hisprofe sional obligations. Necashas been one of the AHLs hottest scorers. Along with Zadina, he waspart of the Czech under-18 team that won the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Tournament that showcased most of the worlds best 1999-born prospects. WORLD JUNIORS: TheCzechs can also lean the quick pads of goalie Jakub Skarek (Islanders), who some consider the best goalie prospect to come out of the Czech Republic since Dominik Hasek. One area that shouldnt be a concern for the Czechs is physicality, as their roster will feature strong forwards with size, such as Martin Kaut (Avalanche), Krystof Hrabik , Ostap Safin (Oilers) and Jachym Kondelik (Predators). Lastly, keep an eye on speed burner Jakub Lauko (Bruins) to make up for some of the scoring if Zadina cant make a go of it. One thing to consider is that 15 of the 27 camp invites are playing on North American rosters this season. A full contingent and you might see the Czechs win their first WJC medal since they took home bronze in 2005. Ru sia Ru sias streak of seven consecutive years with a WJC medal ended in 2019 via a quarterfinal lo s to the Americans. But the team they send to Vancouver appears more confident and capable of smothering any nations attack. North American-trained wingers like Dmitry Zavgorodniy (Flames) and Ivan Chekhovich (Sharks) are dynamic offensive wingers, and slippery Kirill Slepets gave Canada fits at last months Canada-Ru sia Super Series. Ru sia ended up taking the tournament, which is viewed by both nations as a pre-WJC tune-up. TOP 25 UNDER 25: The performance against the Canadian Hockey Leagues elite was the best of any Ru sian entry in the 15-year history of the annual competition, and it was accomplished without the presence of flashy scorers Vitaly Kravtsov (Rangers) and Grigory Denisenko (Panthers), who Willie Snead Iv Jersey will both join the team in Vancouver. With four lines full of two-way forwards and playmakers, plus a mobile, physical defense and the goaltending tandem of Pyotr Kochetkov and Amir Miftakhov , theres good reason to count Ru sia as a legitimate candidate for gold. Switzerland The Swi s have a reputation for either pulling off a round-robin upset, or at least coming pretty darn close to it. This years squad will have its traditional uphill climb, but theyre in the same group as Denmark and the Czech Republic two teams the Swi s beat in the preliminary round in 2017. Granted, the bulk of that roster has moved on, but most of the players the Swi s should send to Vancouver have either North American experience or are NHL draft picks, or both. Forwards Philipp Kurashev (Blackhawks), and 2019 draft prospects Nando Eggenberger , Valentin Nu sbaumer and Kyen Sopa are the more notable skill players up front and should see most of the time on the power play. Defense will be strong in this particular year, as NHL draftees Nico Gro s (Rangers), Tobias Gei ser (Capitals) and Tim Berni (Blue Jackets) will each be appearing in consecutive world juniors. Towering goaltender Akira Schmid (Devils) has spent the last year in North America and has several upsets under his belt at the under-18 level, including one against Team USA at the Five NationsTournament in 2017. Denmark Denmark was the surprise of the 2017 tournament thanks to round-robin wins over Finland and the Czechs before bowing out to the Ru sians in the quarterfinals. Last year, however, nearly was an unmitigated disaster, as the Danes were bailed out in the relegation round by a Beloru sian meltdown to avoid getting bumped to the lower division. Never say never, they say, but itll be tough for Denmark to match its futility from a year ago, where it went 0-4-0 in the prelims and was outscored by a 26-2 margin. MORE: | This years crew is pretty beefy in terms of size and strength, led by a couple of NHL draftees in winger Jonas Ronbjerg (Golden Knights) and ma sive defender Maltke Setkov (Red Wings). The biggest name (literally and figuratively) might be goalie Mads Sogaard (2019 draft), a 6-7 standout for Medicine Hat of the WHL. Considered to be one of the elite goaltending prospects for the upcoming draft, Sogaards quickne s, reflexes and post-save recovery certainly will be tested in a group that will pit the Danes against the vaunted attacks of Canada, Ru sia and the Czechs. Sweden Its hard to count the Swedes out when it comes to the World Juniors, especially since theyll enter the tournament riding a 44-game winning streak during round-robin play. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2007 and an overtime lo s to the U.S. to find the last time Sweden was defeated during group play (they play the Americans on Dec. 29). Although it may look like Group B is slightly weaker than a Group A that features defending champion Canada, Ru sia, the Czechs and the pesky Swi s, you simply cant overlook Swedens skill. Still, this squad will lacking a go-to guy like the previous editions that had Elias Petter son Patrick Willis Jersey or Rasmus Dahlin. Defenseman Tim Liljegren (Maple Leafs) is likely to mi sthe entire competition with a high-ankle sprain, so the onus will fall on puck movers Erik Brannstrom (Golden Knights) and Rasmus Sandin (Maple Leafs) to initiate and create from the back end. Up front, two-way centers David Gustaf son (Jets) and Jacob Olof son (Canadiens) are capable of shutting down top players, while wingers Oskar Back (Stars) and Fabian Zetterlund (Devils) could form a playmaker-sniper combo that provides the Swedes with legitimate scoring threats. Goal-scorer Samuel Fagemo (2019 Draft) was pa sed over at last years draft but is dangerous on the power play and is one of the SHLs top scoring teenagers. Hes playing for a draft call, and a solid showing in Vancouver should lock one up for him. United States Team USA wont make its final roster announcement until after their final camp exhibition games against the Czechs on Dec. 22. But you can pencil in consensus top draft pick Jack Hughes to center their top line, with 2018 first-rounders Oliver Wahlstrom (Islanders) and Joel Farabee (Flyers) expected to flank him. Although the trio will be on the youngish side by WJC standards (all three are under 19 years old), they were dynamite for the NTDP last year and have familiarity with one another. Naturally, most of Team USA will consist of collegians with NHL affiliations, beginning with Jacks older brother, defenseman Quinn Hughes (Canucks), and continuing with his former NTDP teammate Evan Barratt (Chicago Blackhawks), a Penn State sophomore who leads the NCAA in scoring. THE HYPE ABOUT JACK HUGHES Like Sweden, the Americans have a pair of terrific 200-foot centers in Ryan Poehling (Canadiens) and Josh Norris (Senators), and hulking defenseman KAndre Miller (Rangers) is the top point producer among college freshman blue liners. In 2016, Cayden Primeau (Canadiens) came within a hair of carrying the Americans to gold at the 2016 Hlinka, and his penchant for big-game play helped his Northeastern Huskies win their first Beanpot in 30 years. Remember, the U.S. settled for bronze on home soil in Buffalo last year after winning gold in hostile Canada in 2017. They look primed to medal again, with Hughes leading the way on offense. Finland The title run of 2016 that was fueled by current NHL stars Sebastian Aho and Patrik Laine will be a tall order to repeat in 2019, as two of Finlands best eligible forwards center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Canadiens) and winger Kristian Vesalainen (Jets) will not participate. The Finns still have the benefit of a one-two punch featuring center Rasmus Kupari (Kings) and winger Aleksi Heponiemi (Panthers), two of Europes most productive teenagers playing adult-age competition. They'll be joinedby Eeli Tolvanen (Predators), a surprise last-minute roster addition after Nashville released him from AHL Milwaukee. One tournament side story will be the play of elite forward Kaapo Kakko (2019 draft), whose current scoring pace in the Finnish SM-Liiga is ahead of what current NHLers like Mikko Rantanen did in hisrespective draft year. Not only is Kakko expected to be a key cog in Finlands attack, but the battle for Deommodore Lenoir Jersey first overall in the June draft may come down to a New Years Eve meeting between Kakko and Team USAs Jack Hughes. The Finns always seem to have several gifted puck-moving defensemen, and there will be no shortage of them in Vancouver with2019 draft hopefuls Anttoni Honka , Mikko Kokkonen, Ville Heinola and La si Thomson allinvited to camp and whocan scoot and distribute the puck with precision. Slovakia Lucky for the Americans that the Slovaks graduated goaltender Roman Durny and forward Samuel Bucek the duo who combined to shock the world with a 3-2 win over Team USA in last years preliminary round. While the goaltending of newcomer Juraj Sklenar (2019 draft) isnt too shabby, itll take a ma sive effort on his part to replicate the WJC heroics of previous Slovakian netminders like Durny, Adam Huska in 2016 and the bronze medal-winning performance of Denis Godla in 2015. Slovakias 1999 age group was one of its best in recent years, led by a trio of Flames prospects in Adam Ruzicka, Milos Roman and Martin Pospisil . All three currently are playing in North American Bruce Ellington Jersey leagues, and Ruzicka and Roman are appearing in their third straight WJC. While those players can provide two-way play and carry the load in critical situations, the Slovaks have a notable 2019 draft prospect in fine se winger Maxim Cajkovic , who can excite and put pre sure on opposing defenses thanks to cannon of a shot. Throw in a hard-working winger like Adam Liska , who played with the Guelph Storm last year, plus current Seattle Thunderbirds center Andrej Kukuca, and the Slovaks, at least on paper, can ice a formidable top six. The defense is led by the big and mobile Martin Fehervary (Capitals) and 2019 draft overager Michal Ivan , but how the team fares in Vancouver should depend mostly on the ability of its forwards to support in defensive-zone coverage when the ice gets tilted against them. Kazakhstan The Kazakhs will be playing in their first World Junior Championship since 2009, so theres always the chance a happy-to-be-here attitude leads to crooked numbers on the scoreboard. It would have been nice to see them placed in the same group as Ru sia, since most of Kazakhstans roster came from Barys Astanya in the MHL, the junior league that either provided or developed most of Team Ru sias players. Neverthele s, they open against Finland on the tournaments second day, which is after the Finns play the hated Swedes on Dec. 26.The offense should be paced by speedy wingers like Artur Gatiyatov , who is an outstanding playmaker and performed quite well against some the MHLs best Ru sian-born prospects, and Muratov Batyrlan also has speed and likes to shoot the puck from the circles on the power play. The player expected to draw the most attention is mobile defender Valeri Orekhov , a 1999-born offensive defenseman who can skate his way out of most jams. Opposing teams likely know this, so he should expect to face a physical forecheck similar to what he sees against adults in the KHL. Kazakh goalies Demid Yeremeyev and Denis Karatayevhave both have good size, are athletic, and will stop the bulk of the shots they see. The i sue theyll face will be whether or not the Kazakhstan defenders will be strong enough to keep the low slot clear and swat away second chances.