The IIHF World Junior Championship is on its way and will be played at a time when many people across the globe are celebrating a much quieter holiday season than usual due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and may be happier to stay home with the World Juniors to watch.

With no less than the NHL and most junior leagues across North America and parts of Europe on hold, it was felt that this U20 tournament could end up being one for the ages as every nation would theoretically have access to all its best players under the age of 20.

Alas, the coronavirus has put a huge dent in those hopes as several of the participating nations had players or staff members that have tested positive and couldn’t travel.

Despite all the challenges the tournament organizers and participating teams are facing, this year’s World Juniors will feature more high-end talent than you can shake a stick at. In prelude to the upcoming game play, we’d like to introduce you to a number of players from the ten teams you’ll want to keep an eye on throughout the tournament.

Austria

The team is the new kid on the block and has the saving grace of not having to prepare for any form of relegation round. With that said, it’s going to be very hard to do any winning and the tournament could be over in a blink of an eye for the Alp Republic, especially considering that stalwart defenceman Thimo Nickl will be missing out due to having tested positive for Covid-19.

C Marco Rossi
Rossi is a player who has been making considerable news in Canadian juniors the past few years. A monstrous 120-point, +69 season for the Ottawa 67’s (in just 56 games!) was capped off by going 9th overall to the Minnesota Wild in last summer’s draft. A bit short and stocky at 176 cm and 84 kg, Rossi is a hound on the fitness front and has shown himself to be able to play the game any way it comes. Furthermore, he is very unique for the Austrian line-up because he’d likely have made any roster at this tournament. He’s that good – and he’ll need to be if Austria is going to get anything done here. Then again, he has the perfect make-up to put a team on his shoulders and basically decide games by himself. 

C Seena Peeters
The large centre is also a returnee from the Austrian team that gained promotion to this tournament last December. There he had six points in five games, good for third on the team. He’s been playing for the Rogle program in Sweden, where he’s scoring at over a point-per-game pace, and is also coming off a fine rookie year in the QMJHL. He may even have an axe to grind after having been skipped over in this fall’s NHL draft. He’ll provide balance and brawn to what is otherwise a fairly small Austrian side, and one’s got to think that he’ll be on the ice for each and every power play the team incurs. Rossi may be the team’s motor, but Peeters has a lot of hockey in him and will surely be highly motivated to make you notice him.

Canada

They’re the home team and they’re burning to repeat. And why shouldn’t they, as this squad may even be more dynamic than last year’s. The Canadians have put together a line-up that includes not only a current full-time NHLer, but several of the biggest prospects outside of the NHL. Furthermore, every skater on the team has already been drafted by an NHL team and the entire forward corps consists of first-round draft picks! Amazingly, the goaltending position would appear to be an achilles heel if there is one, but the rest of the team looks like the most dominating force from first line to fourth of any of the tournament’s entries.

D Bowen Byram
The quintessential modern-day defenceman, Byram has all the tools and there isn’t any reason he shouldn’t be the tournament’s highest scoring defenceman. He can play against his peers in every situation and should be understood as the most dominating blueliner in Edmonton. Were it not for the global pandemic, he would be playing NHL hockey right now.

C Quinton Byfield
Taken second overall in this fall’s draft, there are many who feel that Byfield will be the draft’s most impactful player when all is said and done. His size/skill package have few equals and now he’s revving up for his second World Juniors with a big role in store. A truck of a young man, Byfield can play the game any way it comes and is incredibly difficult to defend against. It’s easy to imagine that he’ll be for this year’s squad what Barrett Hayton was for last year’s.

C Dylan Cozens
Cozens put up two goals and nine points in Canada’s march to gold a year ago. Now he’s back for more and this too is likely only possible because of the global pandemic, as he’s widely held for being NHL-ready. A big boy who can easily play up the middle or on the wing, we feel Cozens will be the player who just proves to be too much to handle for much of the competition. There’s a power factor to his game and when he gets moving, there’s little the opposition can do to slow him down.

F Kirby Dach
He was in the NHL last year at this time, so this will be his first U20 tournament, but one has to think that his status as the most professionally accomplished player here will make him a force to be reckoned with. Others may get more of an offensive role, but Dach is the team’s captain and will surely be setting the tone gameday after gameday. It’ll be interesting to see what this tournament ends up being like for a player who was already experiencing bubble life just five months ago while racking up six points in nine NHL playoff games for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Czech Republic

Always capable of being a thorn in the side, the Czechs enter this tournament as an outsider for medal contention, at least on paper. The roster is sparkled with a handful of NHL draft picks, including two of the three goaltenders (arguably their best shot at a medal), but an analysis of every position sees the team looking deeper than half of the playing field, but thinner than the other half. Will there be a bit of emotional let-down after having hosted the event last winter?

D Stanislav Svozil
It’s not every year that a Czech defenceman finds himself making noise on the prospect front, but Svozil is bucking the trend. Just 17, he’s already in his second full season of top league play in the Czech Republic and displays all of the skills and knowhow of the modern, skating-oriented, 3-zone defenceman. Look for him to show you why in the course of this tournament.

F Jan Mysak
The highest drafted player on this roster (48th overall this fall), Mysak will be the motor and quarterback of the Czechs’ offensive efforts in this tournament. No other player on the team combines his skillset and skating. He’ll be the one counted on for magic moments when the team needs them most. 

F Michal Gut
Call it a ‘gut’ feeling, but the WHL-experienced Gut is on a roll in the Czech Republic’s second pro circuit and the Czechs will need someone to step up to the plate, especially in the battlefield trenches of the opponents’ zone. Look for the good-sized Gut to be that guy as he’ll want to show no less than NHL teams that he’s worth taking another look at.

RW Michel Teply
After his season for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL last year, and in light of his point-per-game performance in last winter’s Worlds, Teply should be understood as the Czechs’ go-to player up front. He’ll need to be producing if his nation is going to have much of a chance, but he’ll have to find a way to be consistent. When he’s on, he can be real special!

Finland

The Finns traditionally have strong goaltending and this year’s squad could as well, even if the names aren’t as established as in years past. But what’s most notable is how many of the skaters on this team are already NHL draft picks and are currently playing in Finland’s top pro league, Liiga. Because it’s most of the former and actually every single one of the latter. No-one’s going to having an easy time with this edition of the Suomi.

D Ville Heinola
A smooth-skating, two-way defenceman, Heinola was a 1st-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets and even began last season in the NHL right out of his first post-draft NHL camp. He may not have stayed there long, but after a mild season in Liiga, he has come out of the gates like gangbusters this year. 14 points and a +10 rating in 19 games speak volumes about his development and despite a lot of help on the blueline, Heinola is the guy leading the charge for an always dangerous Finnish side.

C Anton Lundell
Selected 12th overall in this fall’s draft by the Florida Panthers, for which fellow Finn and role model Alexander Barkov is the head honcho, Lundell has been one of the most talked about prospects this season. Last winter, everyone saw that Lundell was a very responsible two-way player, but his offensive upside was consistently placed in doubt. Well, he’s more than nixed the naysayers with 12 goals, 20 points, and +7 rating in 17 Liiga games for top address HIFK and now everyone is wondering if he isn’t primed to be one of this tournament’s top five players.

LW Roby Jarventie
A hulking winger at 191 cm and 90 kg, Roby had 23 goals in Mestis (2nd league) play in Finland last season. That was good enough to see the Ottawa Senators select him 33rd overall in this fall’s draft. All he’s done is pick up where he left off, but now in Liiga play. His seven goals, 14 points, and +9 rating in 19 games have many thinking he’ll be one of the hottest hands heading into the tournament.

F Brad Lambert
Having turned 17 just days ago, the half-Canadian Lambert is considered a front runner to be one of the top-3 picks in the 2022 (!) NHL draft. He seems to have made the cut for this year’s squad and heck, why not, considering he already has nine points in 22 career Liiga games and was tearing apart Finland’s U20 league as a 15/16-year-old last season. What his role is in this tournament is almost unimportant; fans will be getting a real glimpse of one of the near future’s hottest commodities.

Germany

This team was primed to have perhaps its strongest U20 side ever. Then the bad news rolled in bit by bit. Top defenceman Moritz Seider wasn’t released by the Detroit Red Wings while four other planned players tested positive for Corona. One of them was forward Lukas Reichel, who was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks this summer. The others included a likely starting goalie and a top six forward.

C/LW Tim Stutzle
This kid has been the hottest German prospect name since Leon Draisaitl. That was then confirmed when Ottawa selected him third overall in this fall’s unique NHL draft. More importantly for Germany, he has WJC experience and clipped at a point-per-game pace last winter. His skill and flash are undeniable, and he has shown to have a motor par excellence. However, he has been sidelined in recent months with an arm injury and there’s no telling just how ready for battle he will be in this tournament. It’s also his first action in quite some time, so he’s going to really need those test games to shake off any rust. If Germany is, however, going to compete for a medal, Stutzle will have to be at the middle of it all.

RW John-Jason Peterka
Drafted 34th overall this fall by the Buffalo Sabres, Peterka is firing on all cylinders right now and has been crushing it for Salzburg in Austria’s top league this fall with 16 points in 12 games. He’s an all-round forward with an entire season of DEL action under his belt and is extremely difficult to play against thanks to a non-stop work ethic and bullish strong build. Next to Stutzle, he is by far the team’s most important player and will be expected to carry a lot of responsibility.

D Max Glotzl
The Germans are entering tournament play without anything resembling a proven blueline talent of international class, but Glotzl may be the best U20 defenceman out of Germany not named Seider. He’s big, mobile, heady, and physical. He’s been doing well in DEL2 play this season and enters this tournament as a kid who is geared to gain more and more responsibility. Having gone undrafted this fall, someone will need to step up on the German blueline and all indications are that Glotzl is going to use this tournament to introduce himself to the international community in a big way.

Russia

One of the heavy favourites for gold, Russia is bringing a line-up to Edmonton that is chock full of future NHL and KHL stars. No less than 18 members of this edition have already been drafted by an NHL team, five of which in the first round, and young defenceman Danil Chaika is expected to be a first rounder next summer. Like Canada, teams are going to have to go through Russia to earn gold. 

G Yaroslav Askarov
Hands down, the most highly touted goaltender entering this tournament. He was the author of some shaky play in last winter’s World Juniors but has otherwise been outstanding in international and domestic plays in recent years, enough so that the Nashville Predators made him the 11th overall pick in this fall’s NHL Draft. Askarov is one of arguably just two goaltenders entering this tournament who can carry a team to a medal and it’d basically be shocking if he didn’t.

D Shakir Mukhamadullin
He may not be Russia’s top defenceman when all is said and done, but he’s been a polarizing name worth watching in prospect circles. Drafted 20th overall this fall by the New Jersey Devils, he started his KHL season on fire, but has cooled off considerably in recent weeks. Clear is, however, that Mukhamadullin has all the tools necessary to make a significant impact over a short period of time, if dialled in properly. Will he be in Edmonton?

F Mikhail Abramov
A mid-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Abramov is a grandpa of sorts for this team. Currently in his third season of QMJHL hockey, having stacked up 14 points in nine games, Abramov brings considerable North American experience to the table and as is offensively established as anyone on this team.

RW Vasili Podkolzin
The team’s captain, Podkolzin, is the guy who’s here to show everyone else how to win this thing. A 10th-overall pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2019 NHL Draft, Podkolzin likes to use his 192 cm, 92 kg body to play the game anyway necessary to win. Currently in his second full season of KHL play, this powerful winger will be taking a regular shift in his third, and most important, World Juniors. Expect to see him on the ice in all important phases of the game, while a visit or two to the penalty box can also be expected.

Slovakia

This is one of the more discrete line-ups Slovakia has had in recent years and the situation didn’t get any better when forward Maxim Cajkovic, Slovakia’s most established international U20 player, was suspended from the team as a disciplinary measure after no less than knocking defenceman Sam Krajc out of tournament play with a check deemed inappropriate by the program.

G Samuel Hlavaj
Hlavaj is a beast of a man in goal at 191 cm and 97 kg. This is also his third World Juniors and it would be hard to imagine anyone upending him in goal heading into the tournament. He’s also coming in with USHL and QMJHL experience, thus well-acquainted with not only North American competition, but also the North American rinks and hockey climate as well.

D Simon Nemec
He may not even see much ice time, but Nemec is just 16 years old and already taking a regular shift in Slovakia’s top league. He also weighs in at 187 cm and 87 kg, meaning he’s got a man’s body. With no relegation possible, his participation would be a huge investment in the future.

RW Martin Chromiak 
Clearly the most established and offensive weapon up front, he’s also the only NHL draft pick up front as well. And that, just barely. Having been thought of as a possible first round pick this past fall, the Los Angeles Kings were able to snag him in the 5th round. What this nonetheless means is that Chromiak not only has some doubters to prove something too, but the responsibility of carrying his team’s offensive hopes. His performance against particularly Germany and Switzerland will be critical for Slovakia’s playoff hopes.

Sweden

The story for Sweden, which many viewed as one of the top three entries heading into this tournament, has been the wave of players and personnel (including the head coach) who’ll not be along for the ride due to Covid-19 infections before departing Edmonton. It is a true pity for Sweden and for the entire international community, which otherwise would have been exposed to the special talents of no less than William Eklund, Karl Henriksson, and Albin Grewe. But the team they’re bringing is certainly medal-capable nonetheless and features several of the absolute most important stars we’ll be seeing over the next few weeks. 

G Hugo Alnefelt
Yes, yes, Alnefelt certainly has competition from within from young Jesper Wallstedt, but Alnefelt is considered one of the top U20 goaltenders on the planet and the Tampa Lightning prospect is in the midst of his second full SHL season. Technically sound in so many ways, yet highly flexible and quick when the opponents demand it of him, Alnefelt went 5-1 at this tournament a year ago, making him the most successfully established puckstopper heading in. We know he’s capable of backstopping a medallist from winning bronze one year ago, but will the medal be of a different colour this time?

D Philip Broberg
He’s big, he’s dynamic, and he loves to skate like the wind. In addition, he’ll be showing off his stuff in the arena he’ll soon be starting off his NHL career in. A first-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, 8th overall in 2019, Broberg has been racking up top line minutes in the SHL this season, his third year in Sweden’s professional hockey scene. Multifaceted and heady, this thoroughbred will surely be galivanting all over the ice whenever he’s up to bat. You’re going to notice him, and not only for the C on his chest.

D Victor Soderstrom
Another first-round draft pick (Arizona), Soderstrom had a real nice 2019/20 season for Brynas in the SHL and is currently on loan one tier below to AIK in the HockeyAllsvenskan. It’s felt he’d be lacing up the skates for Arizona already in January, but the strategist will first be contending in his second World Juniors as one of Sweden’s absolute key players. With six points and a +5 rating in seven games last winter, Soderstrom already has one year as a top defenceman in the tournament behind him. Expect him to want to pick up where he left off.

RW Alexander Holtz
There but a few true snipers heading into this tournament and Holtz may just be the best of them. After nine goals last season Djurgarden of the SHL, he’s got six in 19 games to accompany 13 points in this season and has hit a ton of posts along the way. More importantly, he’s been racking up the points for years internationally, scoring profusely for every Swedish national team he’s suited up for, including three goals and five points in last winter’s tournament as a true underager. In light of Sweden’s losses heading into the tournament, the immense value of his goal-scoring pensum is dialled up now and will simply have to be on display if Sweden is going to head home with a chunk of medal.

F Lucas Raymond
It’s a bit unclear what position the 4th-overall pick in this fall’s draft will be playing at this tournament after Sweden lost several of its top centre candidates to the coronavirus, but be aware that Raymond just may have the slickest hands in this tournament whatsoever. It’s not just the incredible moves and slippery tricks he’s got, but the vision that allows him to set up teammates in the most prime of shooting positions, often completely unsuspectingly. For Sweden to medal, Raymond is going to have to be a top producer and a dominant power play player. He is very capable and you’re not going to want to miss out on seeing him in action.

Switzerland

The Swiss head into the tournament lacking any of the clear-cut, internationally recognized go-to players they’ve usually had at this tournament, for example, Timo Meier and Nico Hischier. Instead, the strength will have to be in the collective, daily effort of all participants, despite several notable exceptions.

G Noah Patenaude
With experience out of parts of two seasons in the QMJHL, the young Patenaude is one of the more intriguing names on the team and a player who could be the difference maker in the crucial games against Germany and Slovakia. He also has another year of U20 eligibility, so there’s a lot for Coach Bayer to gain by letting Noah gather some experience in Edmonton. 

D Inaki Baragano
A member of the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL last season, the small and shifty defenceman will be one of Switzerland’s key players in this tournament and is geared to rack up a lot of important minutes. He may be the team’s chief weapon from the blueline on the power play as well.

RW Simon Knak
Thought of very highly in Swiss circles for a good long while now, Knak spent last season with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, where he came in with high expectations. Despite moments of brilliance, the penny never really dropped, and his season was disappointing enough to see him go undrafted this fall. Thanks to size, skating, and some amazing hands, he is nonetheless the best pure offensive player on this team and should be playing in this tournament with a real chip on his shoulders.

F Lorenzo Canonica
Just 17, the slick Lugano product scheduled to play this season with Shawinigan of the QMJHL is primed and ready to let the international community know exactly who he is and why they should be talking about him. Don’t be surprised if his name keeps popping up on the scoresheet.

USA

The USA is entering this tournament with a bad taste in its mouth. After playing a successful, but unconvincing preliminary round in last year’s show, a 1-0 loss to Finland in the quarter-finals tossed out a team many had thought should be contending for gold – at least on paper. Now another line-up full of future NHLers will hit the ice and has its work cut out for it. An inexperienced but highly versatile blueline is the team’s major positional concern heading in, but has the potential to be a much more effective overall group than we saw 12 months ago. Oh, and get used to forwards whose names begin with the letter ‘B’.

G Spencer Knight
What we wrote about Russia’s Askarov almost completely applies to Knight, as he is the only other goaltender entering this tournament with this many expectations on his shoulders. Sure, people thought that about him last winter and your goaltender is hardly at fault for a 1-0 loss, but let there be no doubt that when a game is tight for Team USA, the whole hockey community is expecting Knight to be the difference. He expects that of himself as well.

C Trevor Zegras
What a trip it’s been for the 2019 9th-overall pick. A returnee for Team USA, Zegras entered last winter’s tournament as a bit of an extra and went on to lead the team in scoring with nine points (all assists) in five games. That and his 36 points in 33 college hockey games for Boston University led to a quick entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks. That he’s here with this U.S. squad is partially due in part to the NHL season first starting on 13 January, because it’s believed he has a good shot at playing in the NHL this season. Beforehand, however, he’ll be counted on to whip up another dose of offence similar to last winter’s outstanding statistics.

LW Matt Boldy
Boldy is the entire package and is entering this tournament with eight points in four college hockey games after a freshman season that saw him put up 26 points in 34 games. Of good physical size and demeanour, Boldy simply does it all, and he does it all at a rate that can be understood as above average. He’s arguably got the same type of playmaking instincts as the aforementioned Zegras and will add the kind of hockey sense that allows a player to impact literally every shift. The U.S. is going to need him at his best.

RW Cole Caufield
He’s mighty small and he’s mighty productive. A player for whom size has never been an issue, the 170 cm tall Caufield is felt to have perhaps the best nose for the net of any player at this tournament. His six goals and 12 points in 10 games with the University of Wisconsin does nothing but back that belief, especially after his 36 points in 36 games there as a freshman. We also feel he’s entering this tournament with a huge chip on his shoulder as he managed only one goal in the previous, disappointing World Juniors campaign and that’s a fact he will want to firmly bury in the past as he writes much different story this winter.

C Matthew Beniers
We’ll conclude this article in a very fitting manner, because this is a player you’re going to want to pay very close attention to and we feel you may not yet know a whole lot about him. This may change considerably over the next two weeks. Beniers just recently turned 18 and is already playing college hockey for a stacked University of Michigan team. He would have surely been on the U.S. squad scheduled for the U18 Worlds as an underager, had the tournament not been lost to the pandemic. Now he’s here and bringing an undeniable skills package to the table. You shouldn’t be surprised in the least if he comes out of nowhere to make one of the biggest impacts around at this tournament.

For certain, the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship is going to be chock full of talent and talented young men whose careers will surely see a few become future Olympians and World Championship winners. You’re going to want to catch them all, but we can’t imagine you’ll miss out on any of the names above while doing so.

Enjoy the action!