The U.S. defeated Canada 2-0 in the 2021 World Junior final, but who will come out on top at the 2022 tournament in Edmonton?
photo: Andrea Cardin / HHOF-IIHF Images
This month, we can expect the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship to give new life to the saying, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Certainly, it’s an unusual start time for the tournament (9 to 20 August), whose previous Edmonton incarnation was cut short in December due to the spread of Omicron. However, coming into the reboot at Rogers Place, the 10 competing U20 teams are as eager as ever to put on a thrilling spectacle and battle for the medals. The World Junior Championship means everything to these kids.
And we’ve seen lots of great hockey played at non-standard times of the year for pandemic-related reasons since 2020.
August will also witness the kickoff of the Women’s Worlds in Denmark (26 August to September 4), staged in an Olympic year for the first time and in August for the second straight time. The U18 Women’s Worlds took place in June for the first time with Canada triumphing in Wisconsin.
On the senior men’s side, Canada won the 2021 IIHF World Championship in June. The Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup in September in 2020 and in July in 2021. The list goes on.
So let’s take a quick look at each 2022 World Junior team and assess their chances of making some special summer memories.
Certainly, it’s an unusual start time for the tournament (9 to 20 August), whose previous Edmonton incarnation was cut short in December due to the spread of Omicron. However, coming into the reboot at Rogers Place, the 10 competing U20 teams are as eager as ever to put on a thrilling spectacle and battle for the medals. The World Junior Championship means everything to these kids.
And we’ve seen lots of great hockey played at non-standard times of the year for pandemic-related reasons since 2020.
August will also witness the kickoff of the Women’s Worlds in Denmark (26 August to September 4), staged in an Olympic year for the first time and in August for the second straight time. The U18 Women’s Worlds took place in June for the first time with Canada triumphing in Wisconsin.
On the senior men’s side, Canada won the 2021 IIHF World Championship in June. The Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup in September in 2020 and in July in 2021. The list goes on.
So let’s take a quick look at each 2022 World Junior team and assess their chances of making some special summer memories.
Trailer 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship
The heroes return. The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on 9 August 2022.
Austria
Given that Austria’s record in December included an 11-2 loss to host Canada, getting a do-over with the slate wiped clean feels like a plus. The absence of key NHL forward prospects like Marco Kasper and Vinzenz Rohrer, however, will make it even harder for the Austrians to generate offence this time. At the 2021 World Juniors, goalie Sebastian Wraneschitz made 61 saves in a 4-0 loss to Sweden. Similar netminding brilliance is a must here if the Austrians are to avoid a last-place finish.
Players to Watch: Sebastian Wraneschitz (G), Leon Wallner (F), Senna Peeters (F)
Canada
Off-ice controversies aside, the host nation has an excellent chance of regaining the crown Canada last won in 2020 in Czechia. The sky’s the limit for 17-year-old forward Connor Bedard, the top prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft, who had four goals in the aforementioned rout of Austria. The firepower up front also includes NHL-ready 2022 Olympians like Mason McTavish and Kent Johnson.
Coach Dave Cameron’s defence is mobile and physically imposing, and Olen Zellweger has the toolkit to quarterback an effective power play. Provided Canada’s goalies keep pace with their opposing numbers, a return to the final for the 2021 silver medalists is realistic.
Players to Watch: Connor Bedard (F), Mason McTavish (F), Kent Johnson (F)
Czechia
Czechia hasn’t won this tournament since posting back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. Since its last medal (2005’s bronze), it has only made the semi-finals once in 16 tries (2018’s fourth-place finish). To change the narrative this time, the Czechs will need world-class performances from top D-men David Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil.
Thirteen Czech players suit up for Canadian major junior clubs, so competing on North American ice is comfortable and familiar. Still, unless the Czechs can surprise Canada or Finland and secure a top-two placement in Group A, surviving the quarter-finals may be a long shot.
Players to Watch: David Jiricek (D), Stanislav Svozil (D), Jan Mysak (F)
Finland
These perennial gold-medal contenders are gunning for their sixth world title and first since 2019. Expect a disciplined two-way effort from coach Antti Pennanen’s crew, who earned bronze in 2021. First-round picks Brad Lambert and Joakim Kemell have speed to burn and could rank among the tournament scoring leaders.
This roster isn’t as star-studded as the 2016 group – featuring Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, and Patrik Laine – that won gold in Helsinki, but no one would be surprised to see the Finns in the gold medal game anyway.
Players to Watch: Brad Lambert (F), Joakim Kemell (F), Topi Niemela (D)
Germany
Compared to 2021, this is a different look offensively for Germany. Coach Tobias Abstreiter can’t ice a trio of high-scoring forwards like Tim Stutzle, Florian Elias, and JJ Peterka, all first-rounders and top-10 WJC scorers in 2021.
Instead, the Germans must fall back on their renowned work ethic and hope for exceptional goaltending. They finished sixth last year with an undermanned roster, but may be hard-pressed to match that result in August.
Players to Watch: Florian Bugl (G), Luca Munzenburger (D), Maksymilian Szuber (D)
Latvia
The tiny Baltic nation – which hosted the 2021 men’s Worlds and will co-host with Finland in 2023 – always faces an uphill battle in age-restricted IIHF tournaments. The Latvians are here due to the disqualification of Russia from international competition. It’ll be a true baptism of fire as they open the World Juniors with back-to-back games against Finland and Canada.
Maintaining good structure and focus will be a big challenge in Latvia’s quest to avoid last place. Its best outing was eighth place in 2009.
Players to Watch: Dans Locmelis (F), Niks Fenenko (D), Bruno Bruveris (G)
Slovakia
Slovak hockey is on the upswing. Winning the 2022 Olympic bronze medal and having Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal) and Simon Nemec (New Jersey) drafted first and second overall respectively provided massive confidence boosts.
Coach Ivan Fenes may not have the depth required to crack the podium in Edmonton, but nobody should take the talented Slovaks for granted in a quarter-final matchup either. They’re eager to avoid coming eighth for a fourth consecutive year. Slovakia owns two World Junior bronze medals (1999, 2015).
Players to Watch: Dalibor Dvorsky (F), Adam Sykora (F), Simon Latoczky (G)
Sweden
The Swedes, who have just two gold medals all-time (1981, 2012), enter this tournament with most of the tools they need to take home the title. That would be a nice send-off for Tomas Monten, who has been Sweden’s head coach since 2017 and is entering his final U20 tournament. Elite goalie Jesper Wallstedt gives them a chance to beat any opponent and towering defenceman Simon Edvinsson takes charge at both ends.
But getting big goals in the biggest moments has historically been a tough go for Sweden. It’s hard to say whether this crew – talented but not groundbreakingly so – will break that mold. There are some good spillover vibes with forwards Liam Ohgren and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who sparked Sweden’s gutsy gold-medal run at the 2022 U18 Worlds in Germany.
Players to Watch: Jonathan Lekkerimaki (F), Simon Edvinsson (D), Jesper Wallstedt (G)
Switzerland
The Swiss – twice silver medalists at the men’s Worlds (2013, 2018) – have been limited to one World Junior bronze medal (1998). And if coach Marco Bayer’s boys break that 24-year drought in Edmonton, it’ll be one of the more remarkable Cinderella runs in tournament history.
This just isn’t a deep Swiss squad. The effort will be there. Whether Noah Patenaude or Kevin Pasche lands the starting job in net, the goaltending should be reasonably good. And Bayer can ice some competent defencemen, from EHC Biel’s Noah Delemont to Brian Zanetti of the Peterborough Petes. But a distinct lack of scoring forwards means Switzerland’s odds of advancing beyond the quarter-finals are slim. It’s a good development opportunity with the 2023 World Juniors coming up quickly in December, though.
Players to Watch: Simon Knak (F), Brian Zanetti (D), Noah Delemont (D)
United States
If any nation is well-positioned to give the host Canadians a tough battle, it’s likely the defending champions from 2021.
Nate Leaman’s squad this year won’t be quite as talent-rich. None of his three 2023 draft-eligible goalies, for instance, boast the pedigree of 2021 starter and now-Florida Panther Spencer Knight. But the defence is deep, mobile, and offensively gifted, including 2022 Olympian Brock Faber and 2022 World Championship participant Luke Hughes. And it’ll be intriguing to see how much offence first-round picks like stickhandling whiz Logan Cooley and sniper Matt Coronato can generate at forward.
Anything other than a gold-medal game berth will be a disappointment for USA Hockey.
Players to Watch: Logan Cooley (F), Luke Hughes (D), Brock Faber (D)
Given that Austria’s record in December included an 11-2 loss to host Canada, getting a do-over with the slate wiped clean feels like a plus. The absence of key NHL forward prospects like Marco Kasper and Vinzenz Rohrer, however, will make it even harder for the Austrians to generate offence this time. At the 2021 World Juniors, goalie Sebastian Wraneschitz made 61 saves in a 4-0 loss to Sweden. Similar netminding brilliance is a must here if the Austrians are to avoid a last-place finish.
Players to Watch: Sebastian Wraneschitz (G), Leon Wallner (F), Senna Peeters (F)
Canada
Off-ice controversies aside, the host nation has an excellent chance of regaining the crown Canada last won in 2020 in Czechia. The sky’s the limit for 17-year-old forward Connor Bedard, the top prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft, who had four goals in the aforementioned rout of Austria. The firepower up front also includes NHL-ready 2022 Olympians like Mason McTavish and Kent Johnson.
Coach Dave Cameron’s defence is mobile and physically imposing, and Olen Zellweger has the toolkit to quarterback an effective power play. Provided Canada’s goalies keep pace with their opposing numbers, a return to the final for the 2021 silver medalists is realistic.
Players to Watch: Connor Bedard (F), Mason McTavish (F), Kent Johnson (F)
Czechia
Czechia hasn’t won this tournament since posting back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. Since its last medal (2005’s bronze), it has only made the semi-finals once in 16 tries (2018’s fourth-place finish). To change the narrative this time, the Czechs will need world-class performances from top D-men David Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil.
Thirteen Czech players suit up for Canadian major junior clubs, so competing on North American ice is comfortable and familiar. Still, unless the Czechs can surprise Canada or Finland and secure a top-two placement in Group A, surviving the quarter-finals may be a long shot.
Players to Watch: David Jiricek (D), Stanislav Svozil (D), Jan Mysak (F)
Finland
These perennial gold-medal contenders are gunning for their sixth world title and first since 2019. Expect a disciplined two-way effort from coach Antti Pennanen’s crew, who earned bronze in 2021. First-round picks Brad Lambert and Joakim Kemell have speed to burn and could rank among the tournament scoring leaders.
This roster isn’t as star-studded as the 2016 group – featuring Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, and Patrik Laine – that won gold in Helsinki, but no one would be surprised to see the Finns in the gold medal game anyway.
Players to Watch: Brad Lambert (F), Joakim Kemell (F), Topi Niemela (D)
Germany
Compared to 2021, this is a different look offensively for Germany. Coach Tobias Abstreiter can’t ice a trio of high-scoring forwards like Tim Stutzle, Florian Elias, and JJ Peterka, all first-rounders and top-10 WJC scorers in 2021.
Instead, the Germans must fall back on their renowned work ethic and hope for exceptional goaltending. They finished sixth last year with an undermanned roster, but may be hard-pressed to match that result in August.
Players to Watch: Florian Bugl (G), Luca Munzenburger (D), Maksymilian Szuber (D)
Latvia
The tiny Baltic nation – which hosted the 2021 men’s Worlds and will co-host with Finland in 2023 – always faces an uphill battle in age-restricted IIHF tournaments. The Latvians are here due to the disqualification of Russia from international competition. It’ll be a true baptism of fire as they open the World Juniors with back-to-back games against Finland and Canada.
Maintaining good structure and focus will be a big challenge in Latvia’s quest to avoid last place. Its best outing was eighth place in 2009.
Players to Watch: Dans Locmelis (F), Niks Fenenko (D), Bruno Bruveris (G)
Slovakia
Slovak hockey is on the upswing. Winning the 2022 Olympic bronze medal and having Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal) and Simon Nemec (New Jersey) drafted first and second overall respectively provided massive confidence boosts.
Coach Ivan Fenes may not have the depth required to crack the podium in Edmonton, but nobody should take the talented Slovaks for granted in a quarter-final matchup either. They’re eager to avoid coming eighth for a fourth consecutive year. Slovakia owns two World Junior bronze medals (1999, 2015).
Players to Watch: Dalibor Dvorsky (F), Adam Sykora (F), Simon Latoczky (G)
Sweden
The Swedes, who have just two gold medals all-time (1981, 2012), enter this tournament with most of the tools they need to take home the title. That would be a nice send-off for Tomas Monten, who has been Sweden’s head coach since 2017 and is entering his final U20 tournament. Elite goalie Jesper Wallstedt gives them a chance to beat any opponent and towering defenceman Simon Edvinsson takes charge at both ends.
But getting big goals in the biggest moments has historically been a tough go for Sweden. It’s hard to say whether this crew – talented but not groundbreakingly so – will break that mold. There are some good spillover vibes with forwards Liam Ohgren and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who sparked Sweden’s gutsy gold-medal run at the 2022 U18 Worlds in Germany.
Players to Watch: Jonathan Lekkerimaki (F), Simon Edvinsson (D), Jesper Wallstedt (G)
Switzerland
The Swiss – twice silver medalists at the men’s Worlds (2013, 2018) – have been limited to one World Junior bronze medal (1998). And if coach Marco Bayer’s boys break that 24-year drought in Edmonton, it’ll be one of the more remarkable Cinderella runs in tournament history.
This just isn’t a deep Swiss squad. The effort will be there. Whether Noah Patenaude or Kevin Pasche lands the starting job in net, the goaltending should be reasonably good. And Bayer can ice some competent defencemen, from EHC Biel’s Noah Delemont to Brian Zanetti of the Peterborough Petes. But a distinct lack of scoring forwards means Switzerland’s odds of advancing beyond the quarter-finals are slim. It’s a good development opportunity with the 2023 World Juniors coming up quickly in December, though.
Players to Watch: Simon Knak (F), Brian Zanetti (D), Noah Delemont (D)
United States
If any nation is well-positioned to give the host Canadians a tough battle, it’s likely the defending champions from 2021.
Nate Leaman’s squad this year won’t be quite as talent-rich. None of his three 2023 draft-eligible goalies, for instance, boast the pedigree of 2021 starter and now-Florida Panther Spencer Knight. But the defence is deep, mobile, and offensively gifted, including 2022 Olympian Brock Faber and 2022 World Championship participant Luke Hughes. And it’ll be intriguing to see how much offence first-round picks like stickhandling whiz Logan Cooley and sniper Matt Coronato can generate at forward.
Anything other than a gold-medal game berth will be a disappointment for USA Hockey.
Players to Watch: Logan Cooley (F), Luke Hughes (D), Brock Faber (D)