The 2020 World Junior Championship is deep in talent. And this year's tournament of the world's best hockey players under the age of 20 is of particular interest to those looking forward to the 2020 NHL draft.
Canada has four draft-eligible players on the roster, two of Sweden's very best forwards and Russia's most talented goalie are 17, and Germany and the Czech Republic will be leaning big-time on 2002-born players. And while the Americans don't have any first-year draft-eligible players, they're taking a group that will be heavy on 18-year-olds. The idea that the World Juniors is a 19-year-old's tournament will be put to the test in a fairly significant way.
Here's a look at all 10 teams -- listed alphabetically within tiers of 2020 expectations -- and top prospects to watch. Let's dig in, starting with Canada.
Jump to:
CAN | RUS | USA | FIN | SWE
CZE | SVK | SUI | GER | KAZ
GOLD MEDAL THREATS
Canada
2019 finish: Sixth
After a massive disappointment on home ice that ended with a quarterfinal overtime loss to eventual champion Finland, Canada is back with a vengeance and a young roster packed with skill and speed. All eyes will be on draft-eligible forwards Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield, who will likely be No. 1 and No. 2 in June's draft, but the perennial favorites have a whole lot more where that came from.
Recent first-rounders Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres) and Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals) have wheels for days and are in the middle of truly incredible draft-plus-one seasons. On top of that, the Canadians got a nice boost from the NHL with Barrett Hayton loaned by the Arizona Coyotes after NHL time this season. You can bet Canada will be fast-paced, highly skilled and incredibly entertaining.
There are some question marks in goal, as seems to be the case often unless Carter Hart has any eligibility left (he doesn't). That's why the defensive corps is so important, and even though the Canadians won't get Noah Dobson back from the New York Islanders, they have a group of exceptional puck movers highlighted by 2019 No. 4 pick Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche) and returnee Ty Smith (New Jersey Devils). As skilled as the Canadians are, they're a fairly young team in comparison to some of their more recent clubs.
Prospect spotlight: Quinton Byfield, C/W (2020 draft-eligible). With Lafreniere returning and Byfield making the Canadian team, draft enthusiasts will want to watch Team Canada. Byfield is a big man with terrific speed and quick hands. Some scouts I've spoken with in recent weeks still feel like he can threaten Lafreniere for first overall in June.
Other prospects to watch: Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres), Alexis Lafreniere (2020 draft-eligible), Bowen Byram (Colorado Avalanche)
Russia
2019 finish: Bronze
The Russians are a legitimate threat to win the whole thing, given the talent they have at every single position. They've struggled to get to the final over the past few years, but they might have a not-so-secret weapon to possibly put them over the top: goalie Yaroslav Askarov.
Aside from goaltending, the Russians are going to be a handful to contain up front with the super-skilled Florida Panthers prospect Grigori Denisenko returning after a strong showing in 2019. They will also have Vancouver Canucks top pick Vasily Podkolzin in a prominent role and should expect sizable contributions from others like Alexander Khovanov (Minnesota Wild), Pavel Dorofyev (Vegas Golden Knights) and Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets). On the back end, Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Romanov should log big minutes among a group exclusively comprised of 19-year-olds.
Prospect spotlight: Yaroslav Askarov, G (2020 draft-eligible). He may be just 17 years old, but Askarov has the potential to dominate every game he's in and has stymied some of the most skilled teams in the world over the past two seasons -- including a huge upset of Team USA at the 2019 World U18 Championship and Canada at this year's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He is so poised and powerful in the crease that he is rarely beat cleanly and has the potential to steal games.
Other prospects to watch: Alexander Romanov (Montreal Canadiens), Vasili Podkolzin (Vancouver Canucks), Grigori Denisenko (Florida Panthers)
United States
2019 finish: Silver
After falling just short in the final last year, Team USA will return five players but will be leaning a lot more heavily on 18-year-olds to carry the offensive burden for the team. Jack Hughes and Joel Farabee aren't available while in the NHL. But the U.S. has two of the elite goal scorers in college and junior hockey in Cole Caufield (Canadiens) and Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings), a veteran D corps led by K'Andre Miller (New York Rangers) and Mattias Samuelsson (Sabres), and an elite goaltender in Panthers first-rounder Spencer Knight.
The U.S. has depth at forward with 2019 top-10 picks Alex Turcotte (Kings) and Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks), on top of getting back Oliver Wahlstrom, who saw NHL time with the Islanders already this season. With two-time defending NCAA national champion head coach Scott Sandelin behind USA's bench and a host of assistants with long World Juniors track records, the Americans should be well prepared. The blue line isn't as high-end as that of some other countries, but the U.S. very much has a chance to contend for gold. The bare-minimum expectation should be to extend Team USA's four-year medal streak.
Prospect spotlight: Spencer Knight, G (Florida Panthers). Goaltending is a huge key to any international tournament, and the U.S. will enter the 2020 WJC with the utmost confidence in their man between the pipes. Knight comes into the tournament riding a nine-game winning streak for Boston College and owns a .940 save percentage over 15 appearances this season.
Other prospects to watch: Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks), Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens), Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
MEDAL CONTENDERS
Finland
2019 finish: Gold
The defending champions will be without 2019 World Junior hero Kaapo Kakko and several others, but you can never ever count out Finland on international ice. Goaltending is a big factor in that and the Finns have another really good one in Justus Annunen (Avalanche), who has been among the top goalies in the Liiga all season while in a platoon role for Karpat.
The forward group still has some skill in the mix, even without Anton Lundell, including Kings speed demon Rasmus Kupari back for another go and Coyotes pick Matias Maccelli coming in hot as he's been a top producer in Liiga in 2019-20. The Finns also have a very gifted, mobile defensive group anchored by first-rounder Ville Heinola (Winnipeg Jets) and Lassi Thomson (Ottawa Senators), as well as shifty Carolina Hurricanes prospect Anttoni Honka and Canucks pick Toni Utunen.
Prospect spotlight: Matias Maccelli, LW (Arizona Coyotes). After spending last season in the USHL, Maccelli has made a seamless transition to the professional ranks in his home country. Maccelli is averaging nearly a point per game for Ilves in Liiga, which puts him in position to play a very prominent role for Finland.
Other prospects to watch: Ville Heinola (Winnipeg Jets), Rasmus Kupari (Los Angeles Kings), Aatu Raty (2021 draft-eligible)
Sweden
2019 finish: Fifth
The Swedes own one of the craziest stats in World Junior history: They've won 48 consecutive preliminary-round games, with no losses in the round-robin portion of the tournament since 2007. However, they have only one gold medal -- thanks to Mika Zibanejad in 2012 -- to show for it during that stretch. It's been a huge point of frustration, but after winning the World U18 Championship last spring, there is reason for optimism.
Then there's the quality of Sweden's blue line, which includes five first-rounders among the seven defensemen selected to the team: Nils Lundkvist (Rangers), Rasmus Sandin (Toronto Maple Leafs), Philip Broberg (Edmonton Oilers), Tobias Bjornfot (Kings) and Victor Soderstrom (Coyotes). It'll be especially mobile as a unit, making Sweden one of the most dangerous teams in transition.
Up front, the team is led by a couple of youngsters. Alexander Holtz and Lucas Raymond are incredibly skilled and should go in the top 10 of the 2020 draft. They also played leading roles in Sweden's U18 gold last year. The forward group also got a huge boost when the Jets loaned center David Gustafsson, who will bring NHL experience and good two-way ability to the table, and don't sleep on the incredibly creative Canucks prospect Nils Hoglander.
Prospect spotlight: Alexander Holtz, RW (2020 draft-eligible). With fellow draft-eligible Raymond a little banged up and battling illness coming into the tournament, Holtz might have the leg up on being a bigger factor. The super-skilled winger can make plays all over the ice and has been playing well at the professional level for Djugardens this season.
Other prospects to watch: Rasmus Sandin (Toronto Maple Leafs), Lucas Raymond (2020 draft-eligible), Nils Lundkvist (New York Rangers)
QUARTERFINALISTS
Czech Republic
2019 finish: Seventh
The hosts have the misfortune of playing in the tournament's most challenging bracket. If they can't steal a win from one of USA, Canada or Russia, they've got to hope they can beat Germany for what could be the last spot in the quarterfinals.
Goaltending is one way the Czechs could threaten the deeper teams, though. Ducks prospect Lukas Dostal is having a great year playing in Finland and is one of my personal favorite goaltending prospects because of his highly competitive nature and ability to steal games.
Beyond goaltending, however, the Czechs will likely lean heavily on Jan Jenik (Coyotes), who is one of the top producers in the OHL this season, and Jakub Lauko, who has spent this season with the Boston Bruins' AHL affiliate in Providence. I just don't know if they have the depth to contend with the top teams, but the opposition should fear Dostal.
Prospect spotlight: Jan Jenik, C (Arizona Coyotes). Entering the tournament as a top-five scorer in the OHL this season, Jenik has been on fire, averaging over two points per game for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Other prospects to watch: Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks), Jakub Lauko (Boston Bruins), Jaromir Pytlik (2020 draft-eligible)
Slovakia
2019 finish: Eighth
These have been mostly lean years for Slovakia at the World Juniors. It has been good enough to reach the quarterfinals, but that's usually where things end. With Kazakhstan in their group, the Slovakians probably don't have much concern about relegation this year, but it's a fairly thin team especially when it comes to NHL prospects. It will probably be a short tournament for them.
Prospect spotlight: Maxim Cajkovic, RW (Tampa Bay Lightning). The biggest scoring threat on the Slovakian team, Cajkovic is having a solid season for the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL. He has a great release and some shiftiness, but he's not the kind of player you'd expect to take over the game, which Slovakia desperately needs.
Other prospects to watch: Samuel Knazko (2020 draft-eligible), Samuel Hlavaj (2020 draft-eligible), Martin Chromiak (2020 draft-eligible)
Switzerland
2019 finish: Fourth
After providing the shock of the 2019 tournament by ousting heavily favored Sweden in the quarterfinals, the Swiss are going to have a tougher time following it up in 2020. With a shallower forward group led by the shifty Valentin Nussbaumer (Coyotes), the Swiss are going to have to find a way to put pucks in the net. Meanwhile, they have some solid goaltending in last year's quarterfinal hero Luca Hollenstin and tandem-mate Akira Schmid (Devils), but it's going to take a lot for those two guys to carry the team to the next level.
Prospect spotlight: Nico Gross, D (New York Rangers). Gross is about to play in his fourth -- yes fourth -- World Junior Championship. Having made his debut at 15, this is all old hat to Gross now. The Oshawa Generals blueliner is steady, reliable and largely unflashy in any specific way. In 17 career games at the World Juniors, he has three assists. Assuming he plays in all of Switzerland's games, Gross will have a chance to enter the top 10 of all-time games played at the World Junior Championship.
Other prospects to watch: Valentin Nussbaumer (Arizona Coyotes), Tim Berni (Columbus Blue Jackets), Simon Knak (2020 draft-eligible)
QUARTERFINALIST DARK HORSE
Germany
2019 finish: DNP
After earning promotion to the top level, the Germans were rewarded with a group that includes the United States, Canada, Russia and host Czech Republic. Welcome back!
The good news for Germany is that it has one of the more talented rosters it has entered to a World Junior Championship, but there are a lot of question marks about depth. That said, the Germans have two first-round NHL draft picks in Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings) and Dominik Bokk (Hurricanes), a potential top-10 talent in 2020 in Tim Stutzle and a few others who have been or will be drafted into the NHL. But they have a really tough road ahead.
Prospect spotlight: Tim Stutzle, LW (2020 draft-eligible). With the skill the Stutzle possesses, he should give some teams problems. He's spending this season in Germany's top pro level, where he has been especially productive for Adler Mannheim. This tournament should provide Stutzle his best showcase for North Americans who may not have heard of his exploits at home.
Other prospects to watch: Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings), John Jason Peterka (2020 draft-eligible), Dominik Bokk (Carolina Hurricanes)
LIKELY RELEGATION
Kazakhstan
2019 finish: Ninth
The Kazakhstan squad was the darling of the 2019 World Juniors with its "Sweet Caroline" goal song and the surprise victory over Denmark in the relegation round. Simply put, I don't think it'll be as lucky this year.
Prospect spotlight: Maxim Musorov, F (2020 draft-eligible). The Kazakhstan club won't have many predictably reliable offensive performers, but Musorov has one of the better résumés. Though he did not record a point in last year's WJC, he lit up the score sheet in the MHL -- the top junior league tied to the KHL -- with 23 points in 17 games. He has even appeared in 12 KHL games with the Kazakhstan club Barys and has one assist. Experience against that level of competition will help, but it is hard to produce when your team won't have the puck a lot.