2021 World Juniors Schedule Announced

For those who are waiting patiently for the NHL to return to play for the upcoming season. Don’t worry, earlier today the schedule for the 2021 World Juniors was announced. This should be something all hockey fans should be excited for; especially considering it’s being held on home soil in Edmonton, Alberta. So let’s take a closer at it, shall we?

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Before the tournament officially begins, there will be 10 pre-competition games. These games are taking place from Dec 20th to Dec 23rd. Canada will be playing against Sweden on December 21st and are also facing off against Russia on the 23rd. After that, the official tournament opens on Christmas Day. However, Canada will be having their first game on Boxing Day as they’ll be squaring off against Germany.

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Looking at the groups, it really does seem as if Canada has a rather significant edge in Group A. Even without the two top draft picks of the 2020 Draft, Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield. Their biggest worry would be going against Finland. But that’s not to say any of the other teams won’t be an issue for the Canadians. There’s always the potential for an upset in tournaments like this. 

As for Group B, this is a tough one to try and predict. Russia is a team coming off a silver medal finish in last year’s World Juniors and they always bring a very good team to these events. Russia will also likely be led by Canucks prospect Vasily Podkolzin who should be a force to be reckoned with once again. The United States will of course have a well-rounded squad. With notable returning players like; Trevor Zegras, Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield. And after finishing with a 6th place finish in the 2020 World Juniors, you can expect this United States squad to be a lot hungrier this time around. And finally, reigning bronze medalists Sweden is also going to have another solid roster. With highlighted prospects from the 2020 NHL Draft, like Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz. So expect them to be dominant once again in the group stages.

It’s still way too early to make full predictions for this tournament, but that’s not to say it won’t be an interesting event. And if you feel like you know who’s going to win, leave a comment below explaining who you think will win gold this year and why.

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