Good morning everyone, it is WJC time, and the games start today.
The easiest way to follow the WJC is on the official site.
The only way to watch the WJC in Canada is on TSN. Just like every year.
NHL Network is the exclusive television home of the IIHF World Junior Championship in the U.S. and will air all U.S. games, along with many others. EJ Hradek, Tony Granato and Jon Morosi will call U.S. games in the tournament. In addition, all contests not on NHL Network will air on ESPN+.
The tournament is in Minnesota this year, which likely explains the complete US coverage. And because the tournament is in Minnesota, who are one hour behind Eastern time, the games often have late starts in the evening. There are many afternoon games as well.
The two venues are the main rink in St. Paul where the Frost and the Wild play. The secondary arena is the University of Minnesota's which is in Minneapolis. It's not as big, but it is a very good venue where the Frost have played some games.
The format for this tournament is unchanged. Two groups of teams play a round robin, each in their own venue, and then they cross over for the quarterfinals.
Group A
- USA
- Sweden
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
- Germany
Group B
- Finland
- Czechia
- Canada
- Latvia
- Denmark
Because Canada and the USA are in different groups, we don't get the New Year's Eve tilt between the two, which has often been the best and most, er, energetic game of the tournament.
This year, the final round robin day, which usually decides the quarterfinals, features USA vs Sweden at 6 pm ET and Canada vs Finland at 8:30 pm ET.
January 1 is an off day and the quarterfinals start on January 2, and the relegation game between the two teams who are last in each group is also that day. The two medal games are on January 5.
One team is relegated and will be replaced next year by Norway.
Team rosters were not official at time of writing, but both Ben Danford and Victor Johansson will be on their respective teams and are the only Leafs prospects in the tournament.
Team Canada's roster shows 28 names the last time I looked at it, but the three goalies have been confirmed as the final plan. Michael Misa is currently a little injured from the last pre-tournament game, but he is expected to play today.
You should expect to see Danford on the third pair, with potential to move up in ice time depending on the circumstances of the game. Danford is there to outwork everyone, including the concession staff and win board battles and play smart defence.
The contrast with defender Johansson is pretty stark. His SHL and junior play in Sweden has shown a player willing to do almost anything on the ice as long as he has the puck. You can't just call him an offensive defenceman, however. Sweden brought all lefty defenders to this event, and Johansson has played on the right side at the pro level some of the time, and he appeared as the 2RD in at least one tuneup game. He is unlikely to get a lot of power play time.
I find Johansson hard to describe. His surprising choices on the ice often pay off, and he has nerve enough to try them. He might be reined in more on the national team, but he's worth watching just to get a handle on his style of play.
He may never hit the NHL, and I think Danford will and sooner than points-watchers will think, but Johansson is already outperforming his draft position just in what he's done since he was taken 120th overall.
Sweden plays Slovakia today at 1 pm ET and Canada plays Czechia tonight at 8:30 pm ET.
And that's it, it's time to watch some hockey!
