The time is here. We are a few months late to the party, but at long last, someone will be crowned the 2022 World Juniors champion.
After the initial tournament was canceled in December, the annual IIHF U20 event is back with nine out of the initial 10 teams set to restart the action. Russia has since been banned from competing in IIHF events, so they've been replaced by Latvia.
The top teenagers from around the world are set to hit the ice, with Team USA eyeing another gold medal. The Americans defeated Canada 2-0 in the gold medal game during the 2021 competition, the sixth time in World Juniors history that the gold has gone south of the border.
While there will be some star power missing at the tournament due to the whacky time of year, there should be plenty of close competition and a dogfight for the right to be named the 2022 World Juniors champion.
Who will come out on top? Here are The Sporting News predictions for the 2022 World Juniors.
2022 World Juniors preliminary round predictions
Pool A standings
- Canada
- Finland
- Czechia
- Slovakia
- Latvia
It's a shame that Slovakia did not have their top talent coming to play because they could have created serious issues for Canada and Finland. Instead, this should be Canada and Finland's group to battle out for. Even without some of their studs, Canada should come out atop the division over Finland. The Finns' depth over should be a huge advantage over teams like Czechia and Slovakia. Latvia is just along for the ride and will likely end up last.
Pool B standings
- Sweden
- United States
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Austria
Pool B should not result in anything other than Sweden and USA as the top two teams.
The two favorites are just far deeper teams than any of the other three, which will create a pretty big gap amongst the haves and have-nots in Edmonton. The top spot will come down to the final preliminary game for Sweden and the U.S. and Sweden's depth of talent should prevail over the US.
It's a toss-up between Switzerland and Germany for the third spot, and Austria will be happy if they end the group stage with a single win.
Elimination round and medal games predictions
Quarterfinals
1A Canada defeats 4B Germany
1B Sweden defeats 4A Slovakia
2A Finland defeats 3B Switzerland
2B USA defeats 3A Czechia
A pretty cut-and-dry quarterfinal round is likely on the docket. Canada, Sweden or Finland shouldn't have an issue with any of their opponents.
The most intriguing matchup would be USA and Czechia. The United States doesn't necessarily have the star power as it did in years past, and countries like Czechia are always a tough out. If there were to be a "major" upset in the quarterfinals, it would be the USA getting knocked out, but it's likely they hang on and advance to the semis.
Semifinals
1A Canada defeats 2A Finland
1B Sweden defeats 2B USA
Two rematches from the preliminary round are on deck for the semifinals and should wield similar results. For as strong as Finland is depth-wise, there's no way we see them can come out on top against Canada.
If they were playing either of the other two, the Finns might be able to move on, but Canada is too talented and so strong defensively. It's hard to imagine a gold medal game without them.
For Sweden and the USA, believe in Jesper Wallstedt over any of the three goalies the Americans have. He'll be the difference maker to get Sweden to the final game.
Medals
Gold: Canada
Silver: Sweden
Bronze: Finland
The losses of William Eklund and Alexander Holtz will be a lot more crushing for Sweden than Canada losing their stars like Owen Power, Shane Wright, etc.
Unless Wallstedt stands on his head and steals the game, Canada gets back on top of the podium in 2022. In the bronze medal game, the lack of goaltending for the United States will again come back to haunt them and the Finns take the medal.
2022 World Juniors individual award predictions
MVP: Mason McTavish, Canada
Best Forward: Mason McTavish, Canada
Best Defenseman: Simon Edvinsson, Sweden
Best Goalie: Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden
If it's not McTavish winning MVP/Best Forward, it's one of his teammates that will take it over him.
McTavish is the best forward heading into the tournament and will take on a large brunt of the workload for Canada, earning the honors. Sweden will rely on its defense with some of its losses at forward. Edvinsson and Wallstedt are going to be the two key pieces in making it all the way to the gold medal game.
2022 World Juniors odds
According to Sports Interaction, the 2022 tournament is a four-horse race.
Canada, Finland, the United States and Sweden are the clear frontrunners to win this year's tournament, with the Canadians holding the best odds at +105. All four countries are +408 or higher, while the other six teams are +1555 or lower.
Here are the odds entering the 2022 tournament.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Canada | +105 |
| Finland | +325 |
| USA | +333 |
| Sweden | +408 |
| Czechia | +1555 |
| Slovakia | +3057 |
| Germany | +7840 |
| Switzerland | +7840 |
| Austria | +50000 |
| Latvia | +50000 |
