2017 IIHF World Junior Championship Preview

The Calgary Flames will have five prospects playing in the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, representing four countries at the tournament.
2016 draft picks Dillon Dube (Canada), Tyler Parsons (USA) and Adam Fox (USA) and 2015 draftees Oliver Kylington (Sweden) and Pavel Karnaukhov (Russia) have landed on their country's final rosters for the annual tournament, which runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Toronto, ON and Montreal, QC.
CalgaryFlames.com takes a look at what to expect from each player and their respective countries:

CANADA

The Canadians are looking to bounce back from their sixth-place finish at the 2016 tournament in Helsinki with new head coach Dominique Ducharme at the helm. The team has had plenty of time to gel ahead of their opening contest on Dec. 26 against the Russians, with the final roster being set on Dec. 14, and are expected to have a much better start to the tournament than last year, when they dropped two of their four round-robin games.
Unsurprisingly, NHL teams didn't release the likes of Anthony Beauvillier, Connor McDavid, Lawson Crowse, Travis Konecny, and Mitch Marner but Canada still has plenty of skill in their forward ranks. Players like Dube, Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Tyson Jost, Mathew Barzal, and Taylor Raddysh are proven offensive contributors.
Despite missing the first 19 games of the season with a knee injury, Dube impressed Hockey Canada enough to land on their final roster. In 10 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, Dube has 11 points. He is expected to start the tournament on a line with Anthony Cirelli and Blake Speers.
On the blueline, Jake Bean of the Calgary Hitmen could play a top-four role for Canada. The Carolina Hurricanes first round pick has been limited to eight games with the Hitmen this year due to injury but was medically cleared for the tournament earlier this month. He and his defensive partner Noah Juulsen are excellent puck moving rearguards and will likely log plenty of minutes throughout the tournament.
In net, Canada has Everett Silvertips' Carter Hart -- last season's CHL Goaltender of the Year -- and Kamloops Blazers' goalie Connor Ingram. Hart is expected to shoulder most of the workload over the next couple of weeks.

USA

In last year's tournament, Matthew Tkachuk and the Americans captured bronze, defeating Sweden to earn a medal at the tournament. While they aren't getting the likes of Tkachuk or Auston Matthews back this year, they still have plenty of skill and speed and are considered medal contenders heading into the tournament.
The USA was dealt a blow this month when it was announced forward Brock Boeser, a Vancouver Canucks first round pick, would be unable to participate due to wrist surgery. In Boeser's absence, players like Clayton Keller, Jack Roslovic, Kieffer Bellows, Colin White, and Tage Thompson will be relied upon even more to produce.
Fox, a freshman at Harvard, will likely be used heavily by head coach Bob Motzko in even-strength and power play situations. In 11 games with the Crimson this year, Fox has 16 points and is averaging 1.45 points-per-game. Fox is expected to be paired up with University of Minnesota defenceman Ryan Lindgren to start the tournament.
Parsons is sharing the netminding duties with Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll. The 19-year-old, selected in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft, has a 11-1-3 record with a 2.46 GAA and a .916 save percentage with the London Knights in Ontario Hockey League this year.

SWEDEN

The Swedes finished fourth in the 2016 tournament, falling to the USA in the bronze medal match-up last January. This year, head coach Tomas Monten and Sweden have assembled a roster that is expected to push for gold.
Up front, they will look to Alexander Nylander to provide plenty of offence throughout the tournament. Nylander, the Buffalo Sabres' 2016 first round pick, has five goals and 17 points in 29 games with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League this year. They also have the likes of Joel Eriksson Ek, Carl Grundstrom, and Elias Pettersson, who can give goaltenders fits.
Kylington is part of a very mobile defence corps that includes 16-year-old Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin, who is already considered a top pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, plays for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. In his first 12 games in Sweden's top league, he has one goal and two points.
In 25 games with the Stockton Heat this season, Kylington leads all Stockton defencemen with four goals and 13 points. The Stockholm native, who is known for his strong skating and offensive instincts, will likely play a top-two role for the Swedes.

RUSSIA

The Russians left the 2016 tournament with silver after dropping a 4-3 decision to Finland in the final game and with a number of veteran players in the mix this year, they are once again considered medal favourites.
Karnaukhov is expected to play on Russia's second line with Denis Guryanov and Danila Kvartalnov. The 19-year-old, who is playing for Zvezda Chekhov in the VHL this season, is one of 11 1997-born forwards on the Russian roster, giving them a plethora of experience throughout their forward group.
The most notable name on the Russian blueline is 2016 Montreal Canadiens first round pick Mikhail Sergachyov. The two-way defenceman plays with an edge and can contribute offensively. In 18 games with the Windsor Spitfires, Sergachyov has 15 points. He also played in three games with the Canadiens earlier this season.
Russia's top goaltender is Ilya Samsonov, the Washington Capitals' first round selection in 2015. The 19-year-old plays for the Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL and has a 2.06 GAA and a .936 save percentage in 19 appearances this year.