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It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the World Junior Championship. For one-and-a-half weeks, the best under-20 hockey players in the world will come together and suit up for their countries, giving fans a chance to see how their team's prospects stack up against their peers, and even get a glimpse of a few prospects eligible for the 2018 draft.
While Kole Lind and Michael DiPietro were late cuts for Team Canada, the Canucks should still be represented by four of their top prospects: Elias Pettersson, Jonah Gadjovich, Olli Juolevi, and Will Lockwood.
Sweden: Elias Pettersson
Elias Pettersson is the most exciting Canucks prospect since the Sedins. He currently leads the Swedish Hockey League in scoring and is on-pace for one of the greatest seasons in SHL history by a 19-year-old, putting him in the conversation with Swedish greats like Kent Nilsson and Peter Forsberg.
Accordingly, he’ll be expected to play a big role on Team Sweden. He hasn’t always stepped up in international play, so all eyes will be on Pettersson as he attempts to lead a deep Swedish roster back to the podium.
When to watch Pettersson:
Dec 26th, 11AM vs Belarus (TSN GO)
Dec 28th, 1PM vs Czech Republic (TSN 1/4)
Dec 30th, 11AM vs Switzerland (TSN 5)
Dec 31st, 5PM vs Russia (TSN 1/3)
Canada: Jonah Gadjovich
Team Canada has a tendency to leave talent at home in a misguided attempt to create a balanced team. This year, they left the likes of Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, and Kole Lind off the roster.
But don’t lump in Jonah Gadjovich as a role player. The Canucks’ 55th overall pick is a big, power forward who earned himself the nickname “The Manchild,” but he’s not just size and physicality: he has soft hands and a great shot. Gadjovich’s combination of physicality and finish provides a unique wrinkle to the Team Canada roster.
When to watch Gadjovich:
Dec 26th, 1PM vs Finland (TSN)
Dec 27th, 4PM vs Slovakia (TSN 1/3/4)
Dec 29th, 12PM vs USA (TSN)
Dec 30th, 5PM vs Denmark (TSN 1/4/5)
Finland: Olli Juolevi
Olli Juolevi is playing in his third World Junior tournament and will hope to return to the gold medal glory of his first year rather than the round robin elimination of his second. Last year, Finland made the surprising move to fire their head coach mid-tournament because of their disappointing performance.
Finland has a refreshed roster, but will heavily rely on Juolevi, who has been fantastic in the Finnish Liiga this season. A strong tournament will assuage the fears of Canucks fans that his development has faltered.
When to watch Juolevi:
Dec 26th, 1PM vs Canada (TSN)
Dec 28th, 9AM vs Denmark (TSN 1/4)
Dec 30th, 1PM vs Slovakia (TSN 1/4/5)
Dec 31st, 1PM vs USA (TSN 1/3)
USA: Will Lockwood
Will Lockwood had an injury scare in pre-tournament action, but should be ready for the start of the World Juniors. He is a superb skater with high-end speed and agility. His skating makes him a force on the forecheck and he seeks out opportunities to throw big hits, but also has an underrated shot.
Lockwood is likely to play a smaller role on a deep, offensively-talented forward roster, but he will be easy to notice when he does take the ice: he’ll be the heat-seeking missile colliding at high speed with the opposition.
When to watch Lockwood:
Dec 26th, 5PM vs Denmark (TSN)
Dec 28th, 5PM vs Slovakia (TSN 1/4/5)
Dec 29th, 12PM vs Canada (TSN)
Dec 31st, 1PM vs Finland (TSN 1/3)
