2023 World Junior Championship Group B preview

The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is scheduled for Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick. All games will be televised live on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada. Today, we preview the Group B preliminary-round bracket.

Luke Hughes and Logan Cooley are two of seven first-round NHL draft picks hoping to bring the United States National Junior Team back to prominence at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The United States lost 4-2 to Czechia in the quarterfinals of the 2022 WJC in August and finished fifth after winning the 2021 WJC.
"I mean, obviously not getting out of the quarterfinals in the 2022 WJC was disappointing," Cooley said. "I was sick seeing Canada win it, too, so I'm really looking forward to getting back at them. We want to get back on the winning track here."
Cooley, a freshman at the University of Minnesota, was selected No. 3 by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Draft. He has 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) and a plus-15 rating in 19 games. Hughes, a defenseman, was selected No. 4 by the New Jersey Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft. The University of Michigan sophomore, the younger brother of Devils forward Jack Hughes and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, has 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 20 games.
He'll play for the United States in an international tournament for the third time in eight months after playing in the 2022 IIHF World Championship in May and the 2022 WJC in August.
RELATED: [World Junior Championship schedule | Luke Hughes set to lead U.S. at World Juniors | Group A preview]
Other first-round selections on the roster are forwards Tyler Boucher (Ottawa Senators, No. 10, 2021), Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 5, 2022), Chaz Lucius (Winnipeg Jets, No. 18, 2021), Rutger McGroarty (Jets, No. 14, 2022) and Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues, No. 23, 2022).
The United States will participate in Group B with Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia at Avenir Centre in Moncton. Group A consists of defending champion Canada, along with Sweden, Czechia, Germany and Austria at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
The United States opens the WJC against Latvia on Monday (4 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).
Here's a look at each Group B team, in predicted order of finish:

United States

Coach: Rand Pecknold
2023 NHL Draft watch: Charlie Stramel, F, University of Wisconsin (NCAA); Gavin Brindley, F, University of Michigan (NCAA); Trey Augustine, G, USA U-18 (NTDP)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Latvia (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Slovakia (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Switzerland (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Finland (4 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Pecknold wants to incorporate a fast-paced, aggressive forechecking scheme up front that could include a top line with center Cooley, left wing Snuggerud and Gauthier. McGroarty, Lucius, Boucher, and Dylan Duke (Tampa Bay Lightning) will also provide some spark up front. The strength of the team is on defense, with returnees Sean Behrens (Colorado Avalanche), Jack Peart (Minnesota Wild) and U.S. captain Hughes, along with Seamus Casey (Devils), Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens) and Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals). Kaidan Mbereko (2023 NHL Draft eligible) went 3-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in four games in the 2022 WJC. Stramel, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list for the 2023 NHL Draft, and Brindley (B rated) could each play a prominent role as linemates.

Finland

Coach: Tomi Lamsa
2023 NHL Draft watch: Lenni Hameenaho, F, Assat (FIN)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Switzerland (11 a.m. ET); Dec. 27, Slovakia (11 a.m. ET); Dec. 29, Latvia (11 a.m. ET); Dec. 31, United States (4 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Finland came up just short in the 2022 WJC gold medal game, losing 3-2 in overtime to Canada. It will again challenge for a championship after medaling a fourth time in the past seven tournaments (gold, 2016; silver, 2022; bronze, 2021). It returns a solid group that includes 15 players chosen in the NHL draft. Among them are goalie Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken, No. 58, 2022), defenseman Aleksi Heimosalmi (Carolina Hurricanes, No. 44, 2021), and forwards Brad Lambert (Jets, No. 30, 2022), Joakim Kemell (Nashville Predators, No. 17, 2022), Oliver Kapanen (Canadiens, No. 64, 2021) and Jani Nyman (Kraken, No. 49, 2022). Kemell led Finland with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) and 27 shots on goal in seven games in the 2022 WJC. Defenseman Aron Kiviharju (2024 NHL Draft-eligible) doesn't turn 17 until Jan. 25; he's played six games with TPS in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league. Finland, which traditionally plays a structured and tough style, had the best power play at the tournament in August (14-for-27, 51.9 percent).

Slovakia

Coach: Ivan Fenes
2023 NHL Draft watch: Dalibor Dvorsky, F, AIK (SWE); Samuel Honzek, F, Vancouver (WHL); Martin Misiak, F, Nove Zamky (SVK); Alex Ciernik, F, Sodertalje Jr. (SWE)
Schedule: Dec. 27, Finland (11 a.m. ET); Dec. 28, United States (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Latvia (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Switzerland (11 a.m. ET)
Outlook: Slovakia will have five players on the team chosen in the NHL draft: defenseman Simon Nemec (Devils, No. 2, 2022) and forwards Filip Mesar (Canadiens, No. 26, 2022), Adam Sykora (New York Rangers, No. 63, 2022), Servac Petrovsky (Wild, No. 185, 2022) and Adam Zlinka (Coyotes, No. 204, 2022). Petrovsky had three points (two goals) and 14 shots on goal in four games for ninth-place Slovakia at the 2022 WJC. Mesar is participating in his first World Juniors and might be the offensive catalyst; he has 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 17 games with Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League this season. Slovakia will also have seven players ranked on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list for the 2023 NHL Draft, including forwards Dvorsky and Honzek, each an A rated skater on Central Scouting's PTW list. Misiak, a B rated forward on Central Scouting's PTW list, has seven assists in 23 games with Nove Zamky in Slovakia's senior division, and Ciernik, a C rated skater, has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 10 games in Sweden's junior division.

Switzerland

Coach: Marco Bayer
2022 NHL Draft watch: Rodwin Dionicio, D, Niagara (OHL)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Finland (11 a.m. ET); Dec. 27, Latvia (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, United States (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Slovakia (11 a.m. ET)
Outlook: Defenseman Lian Bichsel, chosen No. 18 by the Dallas Stars in the 2022 draft, will be a catalyst along the blue line. The left-handed shot has two assists and 14 hits in 10:07 of ice time in 25 games for Leksands in the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional men's league in Sweden. Defenseman Brian Zanetti (Flyers) will return to Switzerland's National Junior Team after getting two assists in four games in an eighth-place finish at the 2022 WJC in August. The Swiss will need reliable goaltending from Kevin Pasche (2023 eligible), who had a 3.86 GAA and .900 save percentage in three games in the August tournament.

Latvia

Coach: Artis Abols
2023 NHL Draft watch: Rainers Rullers, F, Zemgale (LAT)
Schedule: Dec. 26, United States (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Switzerland (4 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Finland (11 a.m. ET); Dec. 30, Slovakia (1:30 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Latvia won a preliminary-round game at the World Juniors for the first time in 10 years in August, a 5-3 upset of Czechia, helping them qualify for the medal round for the first time in seven appearances. They'll look to remain competitive with forward Dans Locmelis (Boston Bruins) leading the attack. The 18-year-old, committed to the University of Massachusetts in 2023-24, has 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 27 games for Lulea's junior team in Sweden. Forward Klavs Veinbergs (Lightning) has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 20 games with Lincoln of the United States Hockey League, and forward Sandis Vilmanis (Florida Panthers) has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 29 games with Sarnia (OHL). Rullers (6-foot-4, 194 pounds), a C rated skater on Central Scouting's PTW list, has 12 points (six goals, six assists) with Zemgale in Latvia's top division. Latvia finished seventh in the 2022 tournament after a 2-1 loss to Sweden in the quarterfinal round.
Photo credit: USA Hockey
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