World Junior Hockey Championship Preview: What to Look For at This Summer's Tournament in Edmonton

Welcome to Redux, the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship.

Conveniently located between the August holidays and his 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship four months later, the tournament will see what happens when It perfectly answers the hotly debated question. You've gathered all the best junior players in the world who haven't prepared for NHL camp, and given him a week to prepare for Midsummer, let loose at Rogers Place.

I'll look into that.

It has been eight months since his first December tournament was shut down by his COVID-19, but everyone is excited about this unique redo. Maybe it will evolve into a great tournament and a truly unique experience that everyone will be happy to be a part of.

Whatever happens, there are a few things to keep in mind when hockey and sunburn collide:

Spectator numbers

This Hits are guaranteed in December when tournaments are held. No matter where in Canada it is held, home team games are packed with flag-waving maniacs from all over the country. It's him one of the best sports traditions we have and laughing about how long it's been since the Maple Leafs won the playoffs his series (2004, lol) alongside the Gray Cup .

Edmonton is world-famous for hosting, supporting, and taking big events to an even bigger level, but following the Hockey Canada scandal, we're not sure what the house will look like in mid-August. Anticipated? A troubled economy.

We would love to see the atmosphere that makes this tournament so special, but there is no guarantee of that at this time. Ticket sales were already sluggish as pandemic protocols last December limited attendance to 50% of him and no food or drink was allowed. He had fewer than 4,000 fans at Canada's final game against Austria.

Eight months later, it is difficult to predict. But if the Edmonton team can sell out a few of his Canadian snowy soccer games in November, his hockey rink might fill up in August.

NEW LOOK CANADIANS

Some of December's big names chose to prepare for NHL camps in August rather than returning to Edmonton, so Team his Canada is almost 50% new.

Gone were his seven forwards of Shane Wright, Cole Parfetti, Xavier Burjot, Mavrik Burke, Jake Neighbors, Justin Sodiff and Dylan Gunther. Their replacements are Tyson Forster, Nathan Gorcher, Riley Kidney, Zach Ostapchuk, Brennan Osman, William Dufour and Joshua Roy.

On defense, former captain Kaidengoule and top of his defense Owen Power were replaced by Jack Thompson and Demon Hunt.

That's a pretty serious turnover. People always say Canada is deep enough to ice her two teams.

No Russia

We all understand why Russians are not invited. But the tournament wouldn't be the same without them.

They may not be the powerhouses they once were (the big three are now Canada, the United States and Finland, who have won three of their last nine gold medals), but they are among the major powers. No international competition seems complete...without the Russian bear.

Canada and the United States have had some epic high-stakes battles on both the men's and women's fronts, but his two bests in hockey after 'Game 7' The word is still "Canada-Russia". There's a passion and mystery that goes back to 1972, and it's sad to see it pushed aside.

THE OTHER CONNOR

TEAM 16-year-old Connor Bedard beats home by scoring youngest goal ever when last seen in his Canada game Scored 4 goals in a world junior match. Even though he lost 11-2 to Austria, it's still pretty impressive that he's 16 and he's scored four goals.

Bedard is now 17 and, if December is any indication, Regina He's the star of the Pats and could be the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. Bedard is poised to do something special on the big stage. The city, which has seen Wayne Gretzky and Conor McDavid grow up, appreciates this more than anyone.

READY OR NOT

These players he has been unfit for the match for two months and to prepare he has only taken eight days of training his camp . From scratch he won a gold medal in a week is what every athlete wants, and what impact does that have on the product?

These are elite athletes who stay in shape all year round, so they may not be noticeable to the naked eye. Maybe after a game or two of live fire, Muscle kicks in his memory and speeds up perfectly. Or maybe it's sloppy and full of mistakes, which is interesting in its own right.

Whatever happens, give them credit for fighting under difficult circumstances.

Scandal Background

What part of this tournament will be about hockey and what part will be about hockey his Canada? How many hockey stories around the world will include the word "rape" in the next two weeks? The 2003 and his 2018 ugly allegations will be part of every tournament storyline. That would make things uncomfortable at times, but Hockey Canada has to keep it uncomfortable for now.

Worlds 2022 not on his junior team. Ideally, fans and media alike should be able to distinguish between kids who have nothing to do with 2003 and 2018, and the Governing Body with a sketchy recent history.

COVID-19 about viruses.

Although the pandemic seems to be running out of steam, it is still present and has the power to disrupt sporting events. The CFL rescheduled the game and made the coach miss per protocol. The original World Juniors tournament was canceled last December after several positive tests, but the sequel is unlikely to be canceled due to the outbreak.

A Hockey Canada spokesperson said players were only tested before leaving for Canada and before games in Edmonton, not before every game. . Even if you test positive, you will still be quarantined for 10 days, but once you arrive in Edmonton, the pressure will be gone.

Gold or No.

How will Team Canada deal with all adversity? Background noise about Hockey Canada. From the December squad he chose not to return in August as he topped nine of his players. short camp. Tournaments have a more relaxed atmosphere than usual. And the usual pressure that comes from a country that sees anything other than a gold medal as a total failure.

You wouldn't be on Team Canada if you didn't have the strength to fight through, but this is the physical and mental challenge facing the Canadian team. Even one of the toughest challenges he will ever face. I have played against him in this tournament.

Should be an interesting 12 days.

Twitter.com/rob_tychkowski

rtychkowski@postmedia.com