World Hockey Junior Championship Futures

Below is a table with some early numbers from BetMGM and DraftKings. 

Some Early Thoughts on the World Juniors

The round-robin stage is odd in the sense that Canada and the USA are not in the same group this time around. Here are what the groups look like. 

• Some Early Thoughts Group A: Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Germany, Austria
• Group B: Finland, USA, Switzerland, Slovakia, Latvia

Again, the shocker might just be that this is the first tournament in forever that Canada is not a consensus favourite. That is correct. Finland (3.5) tops some books, while Canada is a co-favorite in others. Also, note that there is no Russia in this year’s tournament because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Canada feels like the favourite based on past history and home-ice advantage. This is the third time in a row that the tournament has been hosted in Canada. It would surprise no one if Canada ultimately went on to win the gold medal. However, Canada needed overtime to defeat Finland in August. Team USA won the 2021 incarnation of the event. 

The rationale leans on a Finland team that often plays together as a unit. However, some early results throw this assertion into a bit of chaos. Why? In their last meeting before next week, the Americans looked great against the Finns. The 5-2 win indicated that maybe Team USA was underestimated slightly. At one point, they were anywhere from 11.0 to 13.0. Some books have come down to as low as 8.0. Do not be surprised if that number slides lower still. 

OK, Back To Canada

Then, there is aforementioned Canada. Shane Wright and Connor Bedard headline this team. Bedard is the likely consensus top pick of the 2023 NHL Draft come the summer. Bedard and Wright anchor the most fearsome power play among all the countries. Adam Fantilli makes his World Junior debut too. Fantilli is probably the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NHL draft. 

Thomas Milic and Benjamin Gaudreau are the goaltenders for Canada. Canada has this love-hate relationship with goaltending in these tournaments. It will be intriguing to see who gets the elimination games. Milic has played better this year, while Gaudreau struggled in the OHL. It is believed that Gaudreau will get every chance to prove his mettle after his U18 performance in 2021.

This tournament always seems to boil down to transitional offense, special teams, and goaltending. Canada has an advantage in two of those three phases. The question mark is always that third. It may be worth hopping on that 4.0 via BetMGM. That number might not last too much longer.

Where To Place Our Money

As always, we will have some picks, especially the elimination games, via Twitter. The idea is to toss one unit on Canada with a half-unit hedge on Finland and a quarter unit on the USA.

Now, the Americans could easily lose in the quarterfinals. Also, they could win the whole thing. Beating Finland in the pre-tournament was an eye-opener. That does not guarantee success but draws some eyes. 

Expect a fun tournament filled with the usual highs and lows. It all starts Monday from Canada.

2023 World Junior Championship Schedule

Dec. 26

Finland vs. Switzerland, Avenir Centre, 11 a.m. ET

Sweden vs. Austria, Scotiabank Centre, 1:30 p.m. ET

Latvia vs. United States, Avenir Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Czechia vs. Canada, Scotiabank Centre, 6:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 27

Finland vs. Slovakia, Avenir Centre, 11 a.m. ET

Germany vs. Sweden, Scotiabank Centre, 1:30 p.m. ET

Switzerland vs. Latvia, Avenir Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Austria vs. Czechia, Scotiabank Centre, 6:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 28

Slovakia vs. United States, Avenir Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Canada vs. Germany, Scotiabank Centre, 6:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 29

Latvia vs. Finland, Avenir Centre, 11 a.m. ET

Sweden vs. Czechia, Scotiabank Centre, 1:30 p.m. ET

United States vs. Switzerland, Avenir Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Austria vs. Canada, Scotiabank Centre, 6:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 30

Slovakia vs. Latvia, Avenir Centre, 1:30 p.m. ET

Germany vs. Austria, Scotiabank Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Dec. 31

Switzerland vs. Slovakia, Avenir Centre, 11 a.m. ET

Czechia vs. Germany, Scotiabank Centre, 1:30 p.m. ET

United States vs. Finland, Avenir Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Canada vs. Sweden, Scotiabank Centre, 6:30 p.m. ET

Jan. 2

Relegation Round (Game 1), Scotiabank Centre, 9:30 a.m. ET

Quarterfinal 1, Avenir Centre, 11 a.m. ET

Quarterfinal 2, Scotiabank Centre, 1:30 p.m. ET

Quarterfinal 3, Avenir Centre, 4 p.m. ET

Quarterfinal 4, Scotiabank Centre, 6:30 p.m. ET

Jan. 4 (Scotiabank Centre)

Relegation Round (Game 2), 11 a.m. ET

Semifinal 1, 2:30 p.m. ET

Semifinal 2, 6:30 p.m. ET

Jan. 5 (Scotiabank Centre)

Relegation Round (Game 3, if necessary), 11 a.m. ET

Third-place game, 2:30 p.m. ET

Championship game, 6:30 p.m. ET