World Junior Championship Group A preview
Canada's forward depth fuels repeat bid; Finland will rely on defense
That depth will be important after forward
Kirby Dach
, their captain and a Chicago Blackhawks forward, injured his right wrist during a pre-tournament game against Russia on Wednesday and will not play in the tournament.
Even without Dach, Canada's remaining 13 forwards each is a first-round NHL draft pick. That includes four players who returning from the 2020 WJC championship team: Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings), Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres), Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals) and Dawson Mercer (New Jersey Devils).
RELATED: [Canada's all-time WJC starting lineup]
"We have [13] forwards who can skate and they have skill, they can defend," coach Andre Tourigny said. "We're really happy about the depth of our team and our skill level."
The 2021 WJC is scheduled to be held Dec. 25-Jan. 5 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, with no fans in attendance and in a secure zone similar to what the NHL used for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. All games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States and on TSN and RDS in Canada.
Cozens, Canada's leading returning scorer from 2020 with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in seven games, likely will center the top line. Jack Quinn, who scored 52 goals in 62 games with Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League last season, had been practicing at left wing on that line, with Dach at right wing. They started the game together Wednesday, but after Dach's injury, Mercer moved into his spot.
Whether its Mercer or someone else, Canada is well-stocked with possible replacements.
"We're looking for chemistry between players, who can be a good fit to play together and have different elements on each line," Tourigny said. "I think there's a lot of possibilities there. But there's a lot of flexibility as well."
Here's a look at each Group A team, in predicted order of finish:
Canada
Coach: Andre Tourigny
2021 NHL Draft watch: Taylor Gauthier, G, Prince George (WHL)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Germany (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Slovakia (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Switzerland (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Finland (6 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Canada will use its speed to power its transition game and allow its skill to flourish in odd-man situations. Tourigny likely won't worry about matchups, but could utilize a line of Dylan Holloway (Edmonton Oilers), Alex Newhook (Colorado Avalanche) and Jakob Pelletier (Calgary Flames) against the opponents' best players. And Tourigny has said he's intrigued by McMichael centering Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets) and Peyton Krebs (Vegas Golden Knights). The top defense pair likely will be Jamie Drysdale (Anaheim Ducks) and Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche), each of whom can control the tempo of the game with his skating and puck-moving ability. There is a question mark in goal as no clear starter has emerged between Devon Levi (Florida Panthers), Dylan Garand (New York Rangers) and Gauthier, although Levi could be in the lead to start the tournament opener against Germany after playing the entire pre-tournament game against Russia. Regardless of which goalie plays, Canada looks strong enough to overcome any issues.
Finland
Coach: Antti Pennanen
2021 NHL Draft watch: Samuel Helenius, F, JYP (Liiga)
Schedule: Dec. 25, Germany (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Switzerland (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Slovakia (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Canada (6 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Finland's strength will be its defense, led by Ville Heinola (Winnipeg Jets), who will play in the tournament for the third time. Last year he had five assists and averaged 16:53 of ice time in seven games. Also back from the 2020 WJC defense corps are Santeri Hatakka (San Jose Sharks) and Mikko Kokkonen (Toronto Maple Leafs). The offense likely will be keyed by Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers), who has scored 20 points (12 goals, eight assists) in 17 games with HIFK in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. Lundell should have added motivation after missing the 2020 WJC because of an elbow injury. Others to keep an eye on include forward Brad Lambert, who turned 17 on Dec. 19 and is considered a possible top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He made his debut in Liiga with HIFK as a 16-year-old last season, and has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 18 games with JYP this season. If Lambert, Aku Raty (Arizona Coyotes), Roby Jarventie (Ottawa Senators) and Kasper Simontaival (Los Angeles Kings) can add secondary scoring, Finland will have a chance for a top-three tournament finish.
Slovakia
Coach: Robert Petrovicky
2021 NHL Draft watch: Oleksiy Myklukha, F, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
Schedule: Dec. 25, Switzerland (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Canada (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Germany (9:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Finland (2 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Goalie Samuel Hlavaj (2021 draft eligible) will have to be Slovakia's best player for it to have a chance at a top-three finish at the WJC for the first time since it was third in 2015. He was one of the better goalies in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season, going 33-3-2 with a .915 save percentage and a league-best 2.25 goals-against average with Sherbrooke, and was named the league's defensive rookie of the year. But he was 1-3-0 with an .851 save percentage in five games at the 2020 WJC. The defense in front of Hlavaj will have to be better after Slovakia allowed an average of 35.0 shots on goal per game, second-most in the tournament after Kazakhstan (35.1). Slovakia also has to find more offense; its nine goals were the fewest in the tournament. If Hlavaj plays closer to his QMJHL level and gets more support from his teammates, Slovakia will have a chance to put a scare into Canada and Finland, and at least earn the third spot in the group.
Switzerland
Coach: Marco Bayer
2021 NHL Draft watch: Noah Meier, D, GCK Zurich, (SUI); Lorenzo Canonica, F, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Schedule: Dec. 25, Slovakia (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Finland (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Canada (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Germany (6 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Switzerland has five players back from its fifth-place finish at the 2020 WJC, which included a 5-2 upset of Finland in the preliminary round. Among them is forward Simon Knak, who scored two goals in five games at the 2020 WJC. The 18-year-old, a C-rated player on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list for the 2021 NHL Draft, was named captain and will be expected to lead the offense, along with forwards Gaetan Jobin (2021 draft eligible) and Joel Salzgeber (2021 draft eligible), who each played in the 2020 WJC, and forward Lorenzo Canonica, who is a B-rated player for the 2021 draft and has 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 20 games in Switzerland's junior league. Switzerland's most important game will be its opener, against Slovakia, with the winner having an advantage on third place in the group. To get that victory, Switzerland will need one of its three goalies, Noah Patenaude (2021 draft eligible), who plays for Saint John of the QMJHL, Andri Henauer (2021 draft eligible) and Thibault Fatton (2021 draft eligible) to step up in a big way.
Germany
Coach: Tobias Abstreiter
2021 NHL Draft watch: Maximillian Glotzl, D, Koln (GER); Simon Gnyp, D, Koln (GER)
Schedule: Dec. 25, Finland (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 26 Canada (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Slovakia (9:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Switzerland (6 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Germany's tournament hopes will rest on forwards
Tim Stuetzle
(Ottawa Senators) and John-Jason Peterka (Buffalo Sabres), its top two returning scorers from the 2020 WJC. Stuetzle, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, had five assists in five games last year and likely will center Germany's top line. He's fully recovered from Oct. 15 surgery to repair a hand injury sustained training with Mannheim in Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany's top professional league. Peterka led Germany with four goals at the 2020 WJC and has scored 16 points (seven points, nine assists) in 12 games this season with Salzburg in ICE Hockey League, the top professional league in Austria. Germany already had a tough road to the quarterfinals without defenseman Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings), who wasn't released for the tournament, and forwards Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks) and Nino Kinder (2021 draft eligible), each of whom tested positive for COVID-19 during selection camp. Then came news of eight players testing positive after arriving in Edmonton, leading to the majority of the team being quarantined until Dec. 24, the day before its first game.
