2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships – Page 5

Wednesday, August 10 | 4 p.m. MT | Edmonton, Alberta | Preliminary Round

TV: TSN | Radio: TSN Radio | Stream: TSN Direct

Let the games begin in Edmonton! Canada’s National Junior Team opens preliminary-round play at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship against Latvia, getting Group A action started with just the third meeting ever between the countries.

LAST GAME

The Canadians looked good early in their 4-3 pre-tournament win over Sweden on Monday night, getting goals 34 seconds apart from Nathan Gaucher and Mason McTavish midway through the first period and a power-play marker from Kent Johnson before the end of the opening frame for a 3-0 lead. Joshua Roy made it 4-1 early in the third before the Swedes made things interesting. Dylan Garand got the start between the pipes for Canada, stopping all 15 shots he faced before Sebastian Cossa turned aside eight of 11.

Latvia opened its Group A schedule on Tuesday afternoon, falling 6-1 to Finland. Bruno Bruveris was the standout between the pipes for the Baltic nation, finishing with 33 saves. Klavs Weinbergs provided the lone goal for the Latvians, converting on a power play early in the third period.

LAST MEETING

It has been almost six years since Canada and Latvia met at the World Juniors. Taylor Raddysh was the offensive star on Dec. 29, 2016, registering just the fourth four-goal game by a Canadian and adding an assist for good measure in a 10-2 win. Dylan Strome recorded four assists, Kale Clague had three and Matthew Barzal scored twice for Canada, which netted its 10 goals on just 35 shots.

WHAT TO WATCH

How about the season Kent Johnson had in 2021-22? The 19-year-old played in the IIHF World Junior Championship, the Olympic Winter Games, the IIHF World Championship and the NCAA Frozen Four, and made his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets. And all of that happened between December and May. So the product of Port Moody, B.C. – an alternate captain with Team Canada – is going to leaned upon for his experience … and his offence. Johnson had 37 points in 32 games with a star-studded University of Michigan team.

Latvia is back at the World Juniors for the first time since 2017, and its roster includes a number of players who are no stranger to North American hockey. Five ply their trade in the USHL, another five have CHL experience (three in the QMJHL, one in the OHL and one in the WHL) and three are enrolled at U.S. colleges. So there won’t be a fear factor when it comes to playing the physical brand of hockey Canadian entries are typically known for at the tournament.

A LOOK BACK

Other than the game mentioned above from the 2017 World Juniors, Canada and Latvia have only met one other time.

That game, a Boxing Day matchup at the 2010 tournament in Saskatchewan, featured plenty of offence from the Canadians. Gabriel Bourque tied the single-game record with seven points (3-4—7) and Jordan Eberle, Brandon Kozun, Patrice Cormier, Nazem Kadri and Luke Adam each scored a pair of goals in a 16-0 win.

All-time record: Canada leads 2-0-0
Canada goals: 26
Latvia goals: 2

Source: Hockey Canada 🇨🇦

25 PLAYERS TO REPRESENT CANADA AT 2022 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Team Canada kicks off World Juniors on Aug. 10 against Latvia

CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 25 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Junior Team for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, Aug. 9-20 in Edmonton, Alta.

Three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 14 forwards were selected by Alan Millar (Tottenham, Ont.), director of player personnel, and James Boyd (Midland, Ont./Ottawa, OHL), the U20 lead for the Program of Excellence management group, with support from Scott Salmond (Creston, B.C.), senior vice-president of hockey operations. Head coach Dave Cameron (Kinkora, P.E.I./Ottawa, OHL) and assistant coaches Michael Dyck (Lethbridge, Alta./Vancouver, WHL), Louis Robitaille (Montreal, Que./Gatineau, QMJHL) and Dennis Williams (Stratford, Ont./Everett, WHL), as well as goaltending consultant Olivier Michaud (Beloeil, Que./Drummondville, QMJHL), also provided input.

Among the 25 players is one player who won a silver medal at the 2021 World Juniors – Dylan Garand (Victoria, B.C./Kamloops, WHL).

“We are excited to unveil the 25 players who will represent Canada at the World Juniors, as we believe we have assembled a team that will give us the best chance to win a gold medal on home ice,” said Millar. “We know this group of players and staff will represent our country with pride and embrace the opportunity to compete in a unique summer event in Edmonton.”

The support staff that will return to Canada’s National Junior Team for the August 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship includes:

Video coach Elliott Mondou (Grand-Mère, Que.)
Athletic therapists Kevin Elliott (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Mike Burnstein (Hamilton, Ont./Vancouver, WHL)
Team physician Dr. Barry Wiens (Red Deer, Alta./Red Deer, WHL)
Equipment managers Brian St-Louis (Hull, Que./Baie-Comeau, QMJHL) and Chris Hamilton (Ottawa, Ont./Ottawa, OHL)
Strength and conditioning coach Sean Young (Ennismore, Ont./Ottawa, OHL)
Manager of hockey operations Benoit Roy (Sudbury, Ont.)
Coordinator of hockey operations Kurt Keats (Winnipeg, Man.)
Security liaison Bob Martin (London, Ont./London, OHL)
Media relations manager Spencer Sharkey (Hamilton, Ont.)

Canada’s National Junior Team will gather in Calgary for a training camp at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuut’ina Nation, Aug. 2-7, before travelling to Edmonton. Media wishing to attend training camp must apply for accreditation HERE.

The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Aug. 9 with a trio of games before Canada kicks off its tournament against Latvia at 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET on Aug. 10. In addition to its tournament-opening match-up, Canada will also play Slovakia on Aug. 11, Czechia on Aug. 13 and Finland on Aug. 15 to wrap up preliminary-round action. All Team Canada games will be played at 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will carry extensive game coverage and analysis throughout the World Juniors, broadcasting all 28 tournament games. TSN Radio will also provide comprehensive coverage.

For more information from the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit the official tournament website at 2022.worldjuniors.hockey.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Junior Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.