The 2021 World Junior Hockey Championships kicked off December 22, with preliminary round play beginning Christmas Day. The teams are under strict Covid-19 rules, and are playing in the same bubble used by the NHL for the July 2020 playoffs. Be ready for the opening puck drop by reading our tournament preview below !
2020 Draft
The Los Angeles Kings will have a league leading 9 prospects in the tournament, most notably Quinten Byfield (Canada) and the trio of Americans Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev and Brock Faber. The Detroit Red Wings will be watching the Swedish team closely, who’s roster boasts 5 Red Wing prospects, including last year’s 1st round selection Lucas Raymond. The tournament is littered with top talent from last years draft, and will be a great appetizer for NHL fans with the season right around the corner.
Prospects per NHL Team
Los Angeles Kings - 9
Detroit Red Wings - 7
New Jersey Devils - 6
Anaheim Ducks - 6
Toronto Maple Leafs - 6
Florida Panthers - 5
Nashville Predators - 5
Minnesota Wild - 5
Colorado Avalanche - 4
New York Rangers - 4
Group A
Canada
Team Breakdown
WHL - 9
OHL - 8
QMJHL - 4
NCAA - 3
NHL - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Bowen Byram - Defenseman (Colorado Avalanche)
Quinton Byfield - Forward (Los Angeles Kings)
Cole Perfetti - Forward (Winnipeg Jets)
Alex Newhook - Forward (Colorado Avalanche)
Jakob Pelletier - Forward (Calgary Flames)
Devon Levi - Goaltender (Florida Panthers)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Taylor Gauthier - Goaltender - Prince George (WHL)
Finland
Team Breakdown
Liiga - 19
Finish 2nd League - 3
Finnish Jr League - 3
NHL Prospects to Watch
Anton Lundell - Forward (Florida Panthers)
Ville Heinola - Defenseman (Winnipeg Jets)
Mikko Kokkonen - Defenseman (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Aku Raty - Forward (Arizona Coyotes)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Kari Piiroinen - Goaltender - Tuto (Fin 2nd League)
Roope Taponen - Goaltender - K-Espoo (Fin 2nd League)
Petteri Puhakka - Forward - Tappara Jr (Fin Jr League)
Ruben Rafkin - Defenseman - TPS (Liiga)
Samuel Helenius - Forward - JYP (Liiga)
Benjamin Korhonen - Forward - KalPa (Liiga)
Mikko Petman - Forward - Lukko (Liiga)
2022 Draft Prospects to Watch
Brad Lambert - Forward - JYP (Liiga)
Switzerland
Team Breakdown
Switzerland Jr League - 9
Switzerland 2nd League - 7
QMJHL - 3
National League - 3
BCHL - 2
WHL - 1
OHL - 1
NCAA - 1
Sweden Jr League - 1
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Lorenzo Canonica - Forward - Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Simon Knak - Forward - Portland (WHL)
Noah Meier - Defense - GCK Zurich (Swiss 2nd)
Noah Patenaude - Goaltender - Saint John (QMJHL)
Slovakia
Team Breakdown
Slovakia Extraliga - 9
Czech Jr League - 4
OHL - 3
QMJHL - 3
Slovakia Junior League - 3
Finish Jr League - 3
Sweden Junior League - 2
WHL - 1
NAHL - 1
ICE Hockey League (Austria) - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Samuel Knazko - Defenseman (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Martin Chromiak - Forward (Los Angeles Kings)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Samuel Hlavaj - Goaltender - Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
Oleksy Myklukha - Forward - Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
2022 Draft Prospects to Watch
Juraj Slafkovsky - Forward - TPS Jr (Fin Jr League)
Simon Nemec - Defenseman - Nitra (Slovak Extraliga)
Filip Mesar - Forward - Poprad (Slovak Extraliga)
Germany
Team Breakdown
DEL - 11
DEL 2 - 5
Alps Hockey League - 5
German Junior League - 3
OHL - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Tim Stuetzle - Forward (Ottawa Senators)
John-Jason (JJ) Peterka - Forward (Buffalo Senators)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Maximillian Glotzl - Defenseman - Köln (DEL)
Group B
Russia
Team Breakdown
KHL - 13
MHL (Russian Junior League) - 4
VHL (Russian 2nd League) - 3
QMJHL - 2
NCAA - 2
OHL - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Iaroslav Askarov - Goaltender (Nashville Predators)
Vasily Podkolzin - Forward (Vancouver Canucks)
Rodion Amirov - Forward (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Shakir Mukhamadullin - Defenseman (New Jersey Devils)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Daniil Chayka - Defenseman - Guelph (OHL)
Sweden
Team Breakdown
SHL - 16
Sweden Junior League - 5
Sweden 2nd Division - 4
NHL Prospects to Watch
Alexander Holtz - Forward (New Jersey Devils)
Lucas Raymond - Forward (Detroit Red Wings)
Noel Gunnel - Forward (Carolina Hurricanes)
Philip Broberg- Defenseman (Edmonton Oilers)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Jesper Wallstedt - Goaltender - Lulea (SHL)
Oskar Olausson - Forward - HV71 Jr (Sweden Jr)
United States
Team Breakdown
NCAA - 18
USHL - 2
OHL - 2
WHL - 1
AHL - 1
DEL - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Spencer Knight - Goaltender (Florida Panthers)
Cole Caufield - Forward (Montreal Canadiens)
Trevor Zegras - Forward (Anaheim Ducks)
Alex Turcotte - Forward (LA Kings)
Jake Sanderson - Defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Matthew Beniers - Forward - Michigan (NCAA)
Logan Stein - Goaltender - Ferris State (NCAA)
Czech Republic
Team Breakdown
Czech Extraliga - 13
Czech 2nd Division - 6
OHL - 3
WHL - 2
Czech Junior League - 2
QMJHL - 1
Sweden Junior League - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Jan Mysak - Forward (Montreal Canadiens)
Jaromir Pytlik - Forward (New Jersey Devils)
Michal Teply - Forward (Chicago Blackhawks)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Stanislav Svozil - Defenseman - Brno (Czech Extraliga)
Filip Prikryl - Forward - Plzen (Czech Extraliga)
David Jiricek - Defenseman - Plzen (Czech Extraliga)
Austria
Team Breakdown
AlpsHL (Austrian 2nd league) - 9
ICEHL (Austrian Top League) - 6
Swedish Junior League - 4
Austrian Junior League - 2
Swiss Junior League - 1
Finland Junior League - 1
Finland 3rd Division - 1
Czech Junior League - 1
OHL - 1
USPHL NCDC - 1
NHL Prospects to Watch
Marco Rossi - Forward (Minnesota Wild)
2021 Draft Prospects to Watch
Luis Lindner - Defenseman - Boston Jr Bruins (NCDC)
Full Schedule
Friday 12.25.20
Slovakia vs. Switzerland, 2 p.m. ET
Finland vs. Germany, 6 p.m. ET
United States vs. Russia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Saturday 12.26.20
Czech Republic vs. Sweden, 2 p.m. ET
Canada vs. Germany, 6 p.m. ET
Austria vs. United States, 9:30 p.m. ET
Sunday 12.27.20
Switzerland vs. Finland, 2 p.m. ET
Canada vs. Slovakia, 6 p.m. ET
Russia vs. Czech Republic, 9:30 p.m. ET
Monday 12.28.20
Sweden vs. Austria, 6 p.m. ET
Germany vs. Slovakia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday 12.29.20
Czech Republic vs. United States, 2 p.m. ET
Switzerland vs. Canada, 6 p.m. ET
Russia vs. Austria, 9:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday 12.30.20
Slovakia vs. Finland, 2 p.m. ET
Germany vs. Switzerland, 6 p.m. ET
Sweden vs. Russia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Thursday 12.31.20
Austria vs. Czech Republic, 2 p.m. ET
Finland vs. Canada, 6 p.m. ET
United States vs. Sweden, 9:30 p.m. ET
Saturday 1.2.21
Quarterfinal 1, 12 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 2, 3:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 3, 7 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 4, 10:30 p.m. ET
Monday 1.4.21
Semifinal 1, 6 p.m. ET
Semifinal 2, 9:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday 1.5.21
Third-place game, 5:30 p.m. ET
Championship game, 9:30 p.m. ET