WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP PRE-COMPETITION GAMES - DECEMBER 23

CANADA VS. SWEDEN
DECEMBER 23 – EDMONTON, ALTA.

Call this one an early Christmas present for junior hockey fans – the Canadians and Swedes close out the pre-competition schedule at Rexall Place in a rematch of the 2008 and 2009 gold medal games. It would have been a rematch of last year’s final as well, had Sweden not lost the lead with 67 seconds left in the semifinals against Russia, ultimately falling in a shootout.

The Canadians have played in a remarkable 10 consecutive gold medal games dating back to 2002, but in Canada it is gold or nothing, so only five of those years (2005-09) can be considered successes. This year’s roster will look to erase some of the pain left over from the last two World Juniors, when the Canadians suffered close-call losses to the Americans and Russians in the gold medal game. Friday’s game, and the entire preliminary round, will be one big homecoming for Canadian defenceman Mark Pysyk. Not only does the blueliner play his junior hockey for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, who call Rexall Place home, he is the lone Albertan on this year’s edition of Team Canada, hailing from nearby Sherwood Park. Expect his cheers to be just a little bit louder when the Canadians are introduced in Edmonton.

After slipping off the podium last year for the first time since 2007, expect the Swedes to be competing for gold in Alberta. This year’s collection of Swedish talent is highlighted by four 2011 first-round NHL selections: Mika Zibanejad (6th overall to Ottawa), Jonas Brodin (10th to Minnesota), Oscar Klefbom (19th to Edmonton) and Richard Rakell (30th to Anaheim). In Edmonton all eyes will be on Klefbom, the Oilers draft pick who fans hope will someday be patrolling the blueline at Rexall Place in blue and orange, instead of blue and gold. The captain of Sweden’s under-18 team last spring, Klefbom loves to get involved offensively, but uses his solid frame to shutdown the opposition in his own end. The World Juniors likely won’t be his last appearance in the Alberta capital.

PLAYER TO WATCH – CANADA

Jaden Schwartz – The Wilcox, Sask., product will have a little more to prove than his fellow 2011 returnees, having missed most of last year’s tournament after breaking his ankle in Canada’s second game in Buffalo. Expect the St. Louis prospect to take a major leadership role and use his energy and offensive skills on the ice to make a huge impact in Alberta.

PLAYER TO WATCH – SWEDEN

Filip Forsberg – Brilliant for Sweden at this summer’s Memorial of Ivan Hlinka under-18 tournament, Forsberg is a sure-fire first-rounder in next summer’s NHL Entry Draft, and has played himself into consideration as a top-five pick. The playmaking forward has an unmatched passion and determination to succeed and elite-level skills, and would raise his stock even more with a solid World Junior performance.

UNITED STATES VS. SLOVAKIA
DECEMBER 23 – THREE HILLS, ALTA.

The 2012 edition of Team USA should be on display against Slovakia in the final pre-competition game for both countries. American head coach Dean Blais and the rest of the USA Hockey brass are expected to unveil the final 22-man roster the morning of this encounter.  

Make no mistake, the U.S. entry in Alberta will be a formidable one. The 2010 gold medallists are once again one of the pre-tournament favourites to win gold, thanks to a roster that includes seven returnees from 2011’s bronze medal-winning team. The red, white and blue will be loaded with talent, not to mention a boatload of NHL first-round picks – Bjugstad, Campbell, Coyle, Etem and Miller among them. It’s a likely scenario that the U.S.-Canada game on New Year’s Eve will be played with first place in Group B on the line.

The Slovaks certainly don’t measure up to the Americans on paper, but they are hoping to be much improved from their eighth-place effort in Buffalo, barely avoiding relegation. Who knows, maybe a date with the U.S. going into the tournament is just what they need; after all, the biggest highlight in Slovakian junior hockey in recent years was the upset win over the Americans in the quarter-finals in 2009. Six players are back from the Buffalo entry, and the experience can only help.

PLAYER TO WATCH – UNITED STATES

Jack Campbell – The Dallas Stars’ first-round pick from 2010 has been lights-out in international hockey, having won a pair of gold medals at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship and World Junior gold in 2010. The athletic netminder is back for his third WJC experience and will enter the tournament as the unquestioned No. 1 for the Americans.

PLAYER TO WATCH – SLOVAKIA

Tomas Jurco – The second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2011 is magic with the puck. He has already played in a World Juniors and a Memorial Cup, playing a leading role in Saint John’s national championship last spring. The supremely-talented forward will be looked upon to lead the Slovakian fortunes offensively in Alberta.