The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Today, we preview the Group A preliminary-round bracket.
Canada is aiming for a third straight gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship, but Owen Beck will be the only player on the roster who understands what it takes to win it.
The Montreal Canadiens forward prospect is the sole returning player from the 2023 WJC, when he played three games as an injury replacement for forward Colton Dach (Chicago Blackhawks).
"It's a weird feeling," Beck said. "Last year's team was pretty special and I was lucky enough to be a part of that for the medal round. I'm just hoping to be able to bring that experience to the team this year."
What Canada lacks in World Junior experience, it makes up for in high-end skill. Forward Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins) has played in the NHL all season, and the roster features nine players who were picked in the first round of the NHL Draft in 2022 and 2023.
There's also forward Macklin Celebrini, the Boston University freshman who is expected to be the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old is tied for fourth among NCAA players with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 15 games and received an A rating from NHL Central Scouting on its preliminary players to watch list.
"The puck finds him, and he's got lots of confidence with the puck," Canada coach Alan Letang said. "He makes great decisions. I've heard lots about him. This is the first time I've seen him live, and he comes as advertised. I think he has a spot to fit right in here if he plays with that kind of confidence."
Much like Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks) with Canada at the 2023 WJC, Celebrini is the youngest player on the roster but among the most impressive.
"He's got the speed, the vision, he tries stuff," defenseman Jake Furlong (San Jose Sharks) said. "That's the biggest thing -- he's creative, and that goes a long way when you're playing with him. He always finds lanes and he's a great player."
Celebrini's work ethic also stands out, and Canada expects that to be a hallmark throughout the roster.
"They'll be competitive, tenacious, relentless," Hockey Canada senior vice president of hockey operations Scott Salmond said. "I think we're going to come at teams in waves, and I think our depth can be the difference. Everyone now in the world has a top-six [forward group], but when you get to the top-nine or even your fourth line, I think that's where you can win tournaments."
Canada will play in Group A in the preliminary round, along with Sweden, Finland, Germany and Latvia, with its games at Scandinavium. Group B consists of the United States, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Norway, with its games at Frolundaborg.
Canada’s first game will be against Finland on Tuesday (8:30 a.m. ET; NHLN, TSN).
Here's a look at each Group A team, in predicted order of finish:
Canada
Coach: Alan Letang
2024 NHL Draft Watch: Macklin Celebrini, F, Boston University (NCAA); Owen Allard, F, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL); Samuel St-Hilaire, G, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Finland (8:30 a.m. ET); Dec. 27, Latvia (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Sweden (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Germany (1:30 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Canada's offensive depth makes them a gold-medal favorite this year. Expect Poitras, who has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 27 games with the Bruins this season, to center the top line, taking some pressure off Celebrini. Forwards Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Matt Savoie (Buffalo Sabres), each of whom also played in the NHL this season, will be counted on heavily. Savoie leads the Western Hockey League with an average of 2.18 points in 11 games with Wenatchee; Minten has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 13 WHL games between Kamloops and Saskatoon. Offense should come just as easily from the back end. Denton Mateychuk (Columbus Blue Jackets) began his season with points in 23 straight games (six goals, 29 assists) for Moose Jaw of the WHL, and Ty Nelson (Seattle Kraken) has 12 goals in 28 games with North Bay in the Ontario Hockey League. Goaltender remains a question, with an open competition between Scott Ratzlaff (Buffalo Sabres), St-Hilaire, a C-rated prospect for the 2024 draft, and Mathis Rousseau, also 2024 draft eligible. Regardless of who is in goal, Canada should still be the best team in Group A and has a great chance to repeat as tournament champion.
Sweden
Coach: Magnus Havelid
2024 NHL Draft Watch: Hugo Havelid, G, Djurgarden (SWE-2)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Latvia (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Germany (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Canada (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Finland (8:30 a.m. ET)
Outlook: Sweden returns nine players from the 2023 WJC, when it finished fourth after losing to Czechia in overtime in the semifinals and then to the U.S. in the bronze-medal game. "Going out in the semifinals was tough last year," said forward Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks), who tied for the team lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games. "This year we're more hungry that we can go through this and play in the final." Sweden should be strong through the middle with Bystedt, Noah Ostlund (Buffalo Sabres) and David Edstrom (Vegas Golden Knights). Another player to watch will be forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks), who had one goal in seven games last year but has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 24 games with Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League this season. "For us, he's an important player," Havelid said. "And not just on the power play and the offensive side -- he works really hard right now. I'm looking forward to seeing him as well." Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings) likely will be one of the best defensemen at the tournament and should see plenty of ice time after he had one assist at last year's event. Sweden hasn't won WJC gold since 2012, but there's more excitement than pressure as tournament hosts. "Having all the Swedish fans in the background, for me, I feel like it's going to help us a lot," Sandin Pellikka said. "I know myself, because I played at some arenas like in Halifax [at the 2023 WJC], where it was 11,000 Canadian fans and they were booing against us. I would not say tough, but it was hard to play. So, I know how it feels, so I see it as an advantage coming in with all the Swedish fans."
Finland
Coach: Lauri Mikkola
2024 NHL Draft Watch: Konsta Helenius, F, Jukurit (FIN); Emil Hemming, F, TPS (FIN); Jesse Pulkkinen, D, JYP (FIN)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Canada (8:30 a.m. ET); Dec. 27, Germany (8:30 a.m. ET); Dec. 29, Latvia (8:30 a.m. ET); Dec. 31, Sweden (8:30 a.m. ET)
Outlook: Finland doesn't have much firepower or experience, but there is some interesting skill. Kasper Halttunen (Sharks) left London of the Ontario Hockey League with points in 14 straight games (11 goals, eight assists) and has scored 20 goals in 28 games. Helenius, a 17-year-old A-rated prospect for the 2024 draft, has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 28 games for Jukurit in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. His average of 0.71 points per game is the most in Liiga by an under-18 player since Kaapo Kakko averaged 0.84 points in 45 games with TPS in 2018-19. Hemming, also an A-rated prospect, has eight points (six goals, two assists) in 26 games with TPS in Liiga and 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in eight games in Finland's junior league. Arttu Karki (Golden Knights), who leads OHL defensemen with 16 goals in 30 games for Sault Ste. Marie, should be a threat on the power play. Look for Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken), Finland's third goalie at the 2023 WJC, to be the starter this time around; the 19-year-old has a 2.36 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 10 Liiga games with Karpat. Finland won the WJC in 2014, the prior time Sweden hosted, but will need its work ethic to overcome its scoring issues to reach the medal stand.
Latvia
Coach: Artis Abols
2024 NHL Draft Watch: Darels Uljanskis, D, AIK Jr. (SWE-JR); Eriks Mateiko, LW, Saint John (QMJHL)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Sweden (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Canada (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Finland (8:30 a.m. ET); Dec. 30, Germany (1:30 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Latvia survived relegation at the 2023 WJC. To avoid that round this year, it will need big production from two of its most experienced players, forwards Dans Locmelis (Boston Bruins) and Sandis Vilmanis (Florida Panthers), each back for their third WJC. Locmelis scored three goals in six games last year, and this season has five points (four goals, one assist) as a freshman at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Vilmanis had two points (one goal, one assist) at the 2023 WJC, and this season has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 30 OHL games with Sarnia. Also keep an eye on Mateiko (6-foot4, 210 pounds), a C-rated prospect for the 2024 draft who has 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 28 QMJHL games. Latvia doesn't have the talent to stay competitive with Canada, Sweden or Finland, so its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals likely will come down to what happens against Germany on Dec. 30.
Germany
Coach: Tobias Abstreiter
2024 NHL Draft Watch: Philipp Dietl, G, Landshut (GER-2)
Schedule: Dec. 27, Finland (8:30 a.m. ET); Dec. 28, Sweden (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Latvia (1:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Canada (1:30 p.m.m ET)
Outlook: Germany has managed to avoid relegation the past four tournaments but will have a tough time avoiding it this year. Seven players return from the 2023 team that finished eighth, among them defenseman Philip Sinn, who tied for the team lead with three points (one goal, two assists) and averaged 18:46 of ice time in five games. Also to be relied upon are defenseman Norwin Panocha (Buffalo Sabres), who has 11 assists in 30 games with Chicoutimi of the QMJHL. Forward Julian Lutz (Arizona Coyotes), who had two assists in five games at the 2023 WJC, will be counted on for scoring. The 19-year-old has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 19 games with Green Bay in the United States Hockey League. "He's got the opportunity to be a big part of that team," Coyotes director of player development Lee Stempniak said. "I'm just curious to see how he is with his skating, with his size (6-1, 185) and with his skill set." Germany's chances of avoiding relegation likely will come down to its game against Latvia on Dec. 30.
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy and NHL.com/sv independent correspondent Peter Ekholm contributed to this report
