World Junior Hockey Championships 2015: Dates, Schedule, Teams, Bracket and More
Don't let the year in the name fool you. The 2015 World Junior Hockey Championships are right around the corner, starting with four games on Dec. 26 and featuring some of the best young players gracing frozen ponds and cavernous arenas in the world today.
The tournament will be co-hosted by two Canadian cities, Montreal and Toronto. Ten teams are slated to compete in this year's edition of the tournament, with many of them partaking in highly competitive tuneup contests in order to best prepare for this prestigious tournament.
All eyes will be on Team Canada, as this hockey-crazed nation routinely churns out some of the world's best players and will be expected to improve upon its fourth-place finish in the 2014 edition of this event.
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Canada coach Benoit Groulx is facing the outsized expectations head on and is talking up the quick, hard-nosed game he wants his young charges to play, per Bill Beacon of the Canadian Press (h/t National Post): "We want to play a fast game. Fast on the forecheck, fast with the puck, fast at getting the puck back. We’re working on it."
Here is a complete look at the dates, schedule, teams, bracket and more, followed by a quick overall preview of the event:
| Canada | Czech Republic |
| Finland | Denmark |
| Germany | Russia |
| Slovakia | Switzerland |
| United States | Sweden |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 26 | 1 p.m. | Russia vs. Denmark | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 26 | 3 p.m. | United States vs. Finland | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 26 | 5 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. Sweden | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 26 | 8 p.m. | Slovakia vs. Canada | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 27 | 1 p.m. | Sweden vs. Denmark | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 27 | 4 p.m. | Finland vs. Slovakia | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 27 | 5 p.m. | Switzerland vs. Czech Republic | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 27 | 8 p.m. | Canada vs. Germany | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 28 | 5 p.m. | Russia vs. Switzerland | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 28 | 8 p.m. | Germany vs. United States | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 29 | 1 p.m. | Denmark vs. Czech Republic | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 29 | 4 p.m. | Slovakia vs. United States | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 29 | 5 p.m. | Russia vs. Sweden | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 29 | 8 p.m. | Canada vs. Finland | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 30 | 5 p.m. | Denmark vs. Switzerland | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 30 | 8 p.m. | Germany vs. Slovakia | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 31 | 1 p.m. | Sweden vs. Switzerland | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 31 | 4 p.m. | United States vs. Canada | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Preliminary | B | Dec. 31 | 5 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. Russia | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Preliminary | A | Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. | Finland vs. Germany | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Relegation | - | Jan. 2 | 11 a.m. | 5B vs. 5A | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Quarterfinal | - | Jan. 2 | 1 p.m. | TBD | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Quarterfinal | - | Jan. 2 | 3 p.m. | TBD | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Quarterfinal | - | Jan. 2 | 5 p.m. | TBD | Bell Centre, Montreal |
| Quarterfinal | - | Jan. 2 | 8 p.m. | TBD | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Relegation | - | Jan. 3 | 7 p.m. | 5A vs. 5B | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Semifinal | - | Jan. 4 | 4 p.m. | TBD | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Semifinal | - | Jan. 4 | 8 p.m. | TBD | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Relegation* | - | Jan. 5 | 11 a.m. | 5B vs. 5A | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Bronze Medal | - | Jan. 5 | 4 p.m. | TBD | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
| Gold Medal | - | Jan. 5 | 8 p.m. | TBD | Air Canada Centre, Toronto |
Note: For a complete look at event information, scoring rules, tiebreakers and more, head to WorldJunior2015.com.
Preview
The term junior might conjure up images of young, gangly anonymous athletes still growing into their frames. While that may indeed be the case for some of these players, there will undoubtedly be stars in the making at the event.
One such player is Kootenay Ice center Sam Reinhart, who figures to be instrumental to Canada's success in this tournament. The Buffalo Sabres took Reinhart with the second overall pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft, and the 19-year-old forward has already played in nine games with the big club.
Of course, part of the excitement of the World Junior Hockey Championships is looking for breakout stars to come of age in the tournament. NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale gave his take on Auston Matthews, a fresh-faced center who could be set for a starring role on the United States team:
"Despite being the youngest player on the United States roster, the 6-2, 194-pound left-shot centers offers up something special each time he steps on the ice. He has an incredible drive and focus and has met every challenge head on. Matthews, who has 20 goals and 45 points in 24 games for the United States National Team Development Program under-18 team, is fast, powerful in the corners and skilled enough to feather a pass in traffic. The 2016 draft-eligible forward is not afraid to bang for rebounds in the slot either and likely will fill a top-nine role for the U.S.
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While fans will likely be staking out their favorite players come tournament time, there will also be plenty of displays of national pride, as the majority of the 10 teams in the Championships have rich hockey histories.
Finland is the defending champion coming into this event. A gritty, determined squad led by Teuvo Teravainen—a slick forward who led all players in scoring in the 2014 tournament with 15 points and is currently working his way up the Chicago Blackhawks organization—upset host country Sweden in the 2014 gold-medal game.
It was a rather surprising turn of events considering the Swedes were undefeated in the tournament heading into the final and were averaging five goals per contest before succumbing to their Finnish neighbors, 3-2. Look for Sweden, led by Maple Leafs prospect William Nylander, to come out strong and try to top what should be a manageable Group B.
Russia is always a strong contender in this tournament, but it has failed to live up to expectations in most years. WorldJunior2015.com's Slava Malamud noted why 2015 could be an especially emotional tournament for Russia but not one without hope:
"Whether this will be a year the Russians fulfill their eternal promise or not, is another matter. One thing is for certain: with the crumbling Russian economy, the plummeting ruble and the uncertain future facing the local league KHL (and the major junior circuit, MHL, for that matter), Russians could sure use a bit of good news nowadays. To be sure, this team is fully capable of delivering them.
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With players like goalie Igor Shestyorkin and dogged defenseman Rinat Valiev in the fold, expect Russia to provide Sweden with its biggest challenge in the Group B preliminaries.
The United States—who won this competition in 2013—is in fine form heading into the tournament and could surprise a few folks. It easily defeated Sweden 10-5 in a tuneup game on Dec. 23. Alex Tuch led the way with three goals, while Sonny Milano tallied five assists.
USA Hockey has yet to announce the final roster for the tournament, but expect there to be plenty of talent available for the team to take the ice and attempt to steal this competition away from its northern neighbors.
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