The tournament for players under 20 began in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta on Dec. 26 but was postponed after four days of play when the United States, Czechia and Russia each had to forfeit a preliminary-round game after players tested positive for COVID-19.
Ten teams will take part in the tournament: Canada, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia and Latvia will play in Group A, and the United States, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Austria will play in Group B.
Latvia was added to replace Russia, which has been banned from international play because of its invasion of Ukraine.
A game schedule will be announced at a later date.
IIHF president Luc Tardiff said in February that the 2022 WJC
could consist of the same rosters
each country had in December, regardless of whether those players turn 20 before the new tournament.
"We are talking with all participants and are negotiating on details," Tardif said. "It will be after the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. It will be a hockey festival and the teams are excited to do it."
The 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, for under-18 players, is scheduled for the first week in August in Edmonton and Red Deer.
If the rosters remain the same, the top five players selected in the 2021 NHL Draft would play. Defenseman
Owen Power
(No. 1, Buffalo Sabres), and forwards
Mason McTavish
(No. 3, Anaheim Ducks) and
Kent Johnson
(No. 5, Columbus Blue Jackets) were on the Canada roster when the tournament started in December.
Forward
Matty Beniers
(No. 2, Seattle Kraken), and defenseman
Luke Hughes
(No. 4, New Jersey Devils) were on the United States roster.
Defenseman
Jake Sanderson
, the No. 5 pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, was captain for the United States, which is looking for back-to-back titles for the first time. The last team to do so was Canada, which won the last of five straight in 2009.
Results and statistics from the December games will not count when the tournament begins in August.
There will be no relegation round at the 2022 WJC, meaning the same 10 teams will play in the 2023 tournament. That event is scheduled to be played in Russia, but the IIHF has said a setup for that tournament will be determined at a later date.
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