2023 World Junior Championships: Who will bring home the gold?
As the holiday season rolls around, hockey fans everywhere are preparing for more than just a relaxing Christmas break. December 26, 2022, marks the beginning of the 47th IIHF World Junior Championships, a tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for under-20 players around the world. After COVID postponed 2022’s competition from December to August, this year's event is particularly exciting. With talented fresh faces joining the favorite American and Canadian teams, the question of who will emerge victorious is ever-present. Will one of those two promising teams finish triumphantly, or will one of the European squads surprise us all? Let’s take a closer look.
Canada
With 19 historic gold trophies, 10 silvers, and five bronzes, the Canadian team is the predicted winner, with an approximately 41% chance of victory. After gaining a total of 41 goals in just six games, including an 11-1 landslide win over Slovakia, the 2022 team went 7-0-0. It’s safe to say the 2023 team is a confident fan favorite.
Captained by Shane Wright, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft to the Seattle Kraken, Canada has already won both of their pre-tournament games against Switzerland and Slovakia. Although led by Wright, all eyes are on forwards Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli. Bedard, overwhelmingly predicted as the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, is an outstanding player known for his extremely rare “exceptional status.” Often compared to Connor McDavid, Bedard currently leads the WHL in points, securing 64 in 28 games (27 goals, 37 assists). This is not Bedard’s first time playing in the World Junior Championships, as he helped Canada win the gold back in August of this year.
For Adam Fantili, who is also eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft, this will be his WJC debut. After totaling 110 points from two seasons with the Chicago Steel, Fantili is now forging ahead with a very successful and somewhat surprising start at the University of Michigan, acquiring 26 points in 16 games. Fantilli is definitely a player to watch. Other notable players that made the roster this year are Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars) and Dylan Guenther (Arizona Coyotes). They play their first tournament game on December 26 against Czechia.
USA
The 2023 USA WJC team, captained by New Jersey Devils prospect Luke Hughes, is looking for a win after last bringing home the gold in 2021. With five gold trophies, two silvers, and six bronzes, the team is ready for a breakout year. After a disappointing quarter-final loss in August, the US team has a predicted 25% chance of victory this December. Although they didn’t reach the top three during the last tournament, they still managed an impressive 24 goals in just four games. The US has also won both of their pre-tournament games so far and has a great shot at winning at least silver or gold.
The roster this year is filled to the brim with talented players such as University of Michigan stars Luke Hughes, Dylan Duke (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Seamus Casey (New Jersey Devils), and also some 2022 first-round NHL Draft picks like Cutter Gauthier (fifth overall, Philadelphia Flyers), Logan Cooley (third overall, Arizona Coyotes), and Rutger McGroarty (14th overall, Winnipeg Jets). Veteran Red Savage (Detroit Red Wings) will also be playing as an alternate captain.
The most notable players to keep an eye out for are Luke Hughes and Logan Cooley. Hughes, brother of Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) and Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) totaled six points in five games during the last WJC. He has had a great two years playing at the University of Michigan, gaining 57 points (20 goals, 37 assists) and establishing himself as a leader. In August, he played alongside Logan Cooley, who has so far netted 25 points this season for the University of Minnesota (10 goals, 15 assists). The two defensemen are expected to pave the way for this team after both scoring goals in the pre-tournament games.
Similarly, so far in the pre-tournament games, USA goalies Kaidan Mberko (.927 SV%) and Trey Augustine (.934 SV%) stopped 15 of 16 shots and 22 out of 24 shots, demonstrating early signs of a strong defense. The USA team plays its first tournament game against Latvia on December 26.
Sweden
This year marks a big shift for the Swedish team as it gains a new head coach, Magnus Hävelid. The roster includes some familiar household NHL names, such as the Vancouver Canucks draft pick Elias Petterson. It also includes promising prospect Leo Carlsson, who is projected to go in the top five during the 2023 NHL Draft. Overall, Sweden has favorable odds of winning at least bronze this year, with a 17% chance of victory. They play their first tournament game against Austria on December 26.
Finland
Although being the last European team to win back in 2019, Finland only has a predicted 8% chance of victory in the 2023 tournament. The team has 2 good goalies that are NHL prospects, Niklas Kokko (.904 SV%) and Aku Koskenvuo (.875 SV%). However, they also have some inconsistent players, such as Brad Lambert, who was at one point considered a star NHL prospect, but only netted one goal in five games before being scratched by the Winnipeg Jets. Despite these statistics, it’s hard to ignore Finland’s five gold, five silver, and seven bronze trophies. The Finnish team plays its first tournament game against Switzerland on December 26.
Closing Remarks
It’s obvious that the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships is going to be an action-packed tournament filled with twists and turns. With the statistics regarding Canada and the US, it’s safe to predict one of them will emerge victorious. However, nothing is ever promised, especially in hockey. We will have to wait and watch with the rest of the world to find out which country will be recognized as champions.