Swedes looking for third IIHF World Under 18 Championship in past four years, while McKenna looks to boost Canada to gold

Canada and Sweden have combined for 22 medals, including six gold, all-time at the IIHF Under 18 World Championship. Perhaps needless to say, they are expected to lead the charge in Group B at this year’s event and Day 1 of the tournament will see those teams go head-to-head.

But Group B could hold some surprises, as Czechia and Switzerland are always knocking on the door of international hockey and will have something to prove during the event, which runs 25 April to 5 May in Finland. Group B is rounded out by Kazakhstan, which won the U18 Division 1A one year ago, earning the right to join the big boys at the main event this year.

Here is a look at the teams that will try and come out of Group B on the road to gold:

Canada

Canada has pumped out generational players over the past few years, namely the two Connors, McDavid and Bedard, both of whom played at the IIHF World Under 18 Championship. Bedard helped Canada win the title in 2021, which marked the last time Canada won gold at the U18 World Championship.

This year’s Team Canada features perhaps the next-next one in Gavin McKenna and, yes, we’re going to need a better nickname than that for one of the players to watch at this event. McKenna, who is cousins through marriage with Bedard, recently completed his first full season in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers, posting 97 points (a nod to McDavid?) in 61 games as a 16-year-old playing in a league usually dominated by 19 and 20-year-olds.

Czechia

It’s hard to believe that a reputable hockey power like Czechia hasn’t reached the U18 Worlds podium in almost a decade. Last year, Czechia finished a disappointing seventh place following a tournament in which it won just one round-robin game, lost one in a shootout, and lost two others in regulation.

A return to Finland might be just what the Czechs need to reach the podium once again, with its last medal coming in 2014 when Lappeenranta and Imatra were host cities and the Czechs won silver. Prior to that, Czechia hadn’t won a medal at the U18 Worlds since 2006, when they captured bronze in Sweden.

With one silver and three bronze medals to their credit all time, the Czechs have shown they can perform at this event. To earn a medal for the first time in 10 years, they will need returning defenceman Jan Skok to carry a bunch of the load and help the usually-stifling Czech D keep the opponents at bay. The only returning forward from the 2023 team is Adam Jecho, who had a solid season in 2023-24 in Canada with his junior team – the Edmonton Oil Kings – posting 23 goals and 47 points in 54 games.

Kazakhstan

The Kazakhs enter this tournament as the heavy underdog in Group B. This is a country that has never won a medal at the U18 Worlds but will be excited to compete amongst the top 10 countries in the world. Kazakhstan booked its ticket to this tournament when it won the 2023 U18 World Championship Division 1A tournament in France, winning four of five round-robin games, edging Denmark by one point in the final standings.

Unfortunately for Kazakhstan, the 2023 team primarily featured 2005-born players, who are not eligible for the 2024 U18 Worlds. The only player from the 2023 team who is competing in 2024 is defender Roman Bolshedvorskiy, a 2006-born who was a solid plus-four at the 2023 event and is expected to be a key part of the Kazakh blueline.

An intriguing player to watch is Svyatoslav Yevplov, a 2008-born 6-foot defender.

Sweden

The Swedes enter as one of the tournament favourites, having captured gold in 2022 and 2019. Sweden got oh so close to winning back-to-back golds at last year’s event, losing the final game in heartbreaking fashion, 3-2 in overtime to the United States.

Sweden has earned a medal at the past five U18 Worlds (2023 silver, 2022 gold, 2021 bronze, 2019 gold, 2018 bronze).

Good or bad (take your pick), no player on this year’s team competed at the 2023 U18 Worlds so that bitter taste of defeat may not linger if you’re looking at this team with a half-glass full outlook.

This Sweden squad should be able to put the puck in the net, led by centreman Lucas Pettersson, who had a great season with Modo J20, putting up 57 points, including 27 goals, in 44 games. Pettersson had a goal and three assists in Sweden’s 8-5 pre-tournament loss to the United States on 20 April.

Switzerland

The Swiss have just one medal all-time at U18 Worlds, that being a silver medal way back in 2001. But this is a country where hockey is on the rise and, last year, Switzerland fought hard versus Canada in its quarterfinal, heading into the second period tied 1-1 before the Canadians took over the game.

The Swiss have four returning players, which should provide the team with a great chance to compete for a podium finish. Goalkeeper Christian Kirsch and defender Leon Muggli, teammates from EV Zug, are joined by defender Daniil Ustinkov and forward Jamiro Reber as players who competed for the Swiss at the 2023 U18 Worlds and are expected to be key cogs in the Swiss machine this go round.