Tuesday is the first day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
On Tap for Day 1
All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN and RDS in Canada
Slovakia vs. Czechia (6 a.m. ET) -- Czechia upset Canada in its first game of the 2023 WJC, and will look to start the 2024 tournament in a similar strong manner with the tournament opener in Group B at Frolundaborg. Forward Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres), who tied for second at last year's tournament with seven goals, will key an offense that should get big contributions from forwards Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights) and Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken). Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes) likely will have the first crack at replacing last year's star goalie, Tomas Suchanek. Slovakia will have its own top goalie back, Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks), voted the top goalie of the 2023 WJC. Keep an eye on forward Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames), who has seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games with Vancouver of the Western Hockey League after recovering from a lower-body injury sustained during the NHL preseason. He has the skill set to be a dominant power forward.
Finland vs. Canada (8:30 a.m. ET) -- Canada's quest for a third straight gold medal starts play in Group A at Scandinavium. Macklin Celebrini, expected to be the top pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, will be one of the spotlight players during the tournament. The 17-year-old has 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 15 games as a freshman at Boston University. Finland could be led by their own top 2024 draft prospects, forwards Konsta Helenius and Emil Hemming. Helenius, 17, who received an A rating from NHL Central Scouting in its players to watch list, 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 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.
United States vs. Norway (11 a.m. ET) -- The United States, predicted by three NHL.com writers to win the tournament, will have two of its top three scorers from the 2023 tournament in the lineup when it plays its first game in Group B. Forwards Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis Blues) was second last year with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in seven games, and Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers) was tied for third with 10 points (four goals, six assists). The real fun could come on defense, with Lane Hutson (Montreal Canadiens) and Zeev Buium, an A-rated prospect for the 2024 draft. Hutson was a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season as a freshman at Boston University and is one of the most dynamic skaters in his age group, and Buium leads NCAA defensemen with 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 18 games as a freshman at the University of Denver. Norway, playing in the World Juniors for the first time since 2014, has a star 2024 draft prospect in forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, an A-rated prospect already playing against professionals with Mora in Allsvenskan, the second-highest pro league in Sweden.
Sweden vs. Latvia (1:30 p.m. ET) -- Sweden returns nine players from the team that lost to the U.S. in the bronze-medal game at the 2023 WJC, led by forward Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks), who tied for the team lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists). Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings) also is poised for a big tournament; he had one assist in seven games last year but leads Swedish Hockey League defensemen with nine goals in 25 games for Skelleftea. They could get a test from Latvia, which has six players back from last year's team that swept Austria in the best-of-3 relegation round to remain at the top level of the World Juniors. Two new additions this year are B-rated 2024 draft prospects forward Eriks Mateiko and defenseman Darels Uljanskis. Mateiko has 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 28 games with Saint John in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, and Uljanskis has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 25 games with AIK's team in Sweden's junior league.
