Published 2023-12-21 11.24
Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Örebro’s successful forward, becomes one of the biggest Swedish stars in the junior WC. Archive image.
1 / 5 Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT
Canada has won two years in a row – Sweden has won twice in total.
Now the Junior crowns will try to make the Junior WC at home a blue-yellow and golden party.
When: December 26-January 5.
Where: JVM is played in Gothenburg with Scandinavium as the main arena where Sweden also plays and in Frölundaborg.
TV broadcasts: SVT and Viaplay share the event.
Group classification, Group A (Scandinavium): Sweden, Finland, Canada, Latvia, Germany.
Group B (Frölundaborg): USA, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway (newcomer).
Here’s how it works: The group stage is played as a single series where the top four teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals. The group fives meet in a relegation match where the loser is moved down a division. A player in the JVM must not be younger than 15 years and must not turn 20 until the same year the championship is played out (2024).
Sweden’s group stage matches:
26/12: Latvia (19.30, SVT), 28/12: Germany (19.30, Viaplay/TV6), 29/12: Canada (19.30, Viaplay/TV6), 31/12: Finland (14.30, SVT).
This is how the playoffs are played:
Quarter-finals (2/1), semi-finals (4/1), medal matches (5/1).
Twelve years since the last time: Sweden has only won gold twice in history, in 1981 in Germany and in 2012 in Calgary. Mika Zibanejad’s overtime goal against Russia in Calgary is a Swedish hockey classic.
Could there be a new one?
Silverdepp in Malmö: It will be the seventh time Sweden has organized the JVM and at best it has been silver for Sweden twice – including most recently, in 2014. In front of a sold-out Malmö arena, Sweden lost the final in extra time against Finland (2–3). Rasmus Ristolainen decided for Finland and among the depressing Swedes were Filip Forsberg and Elias Lindholm, even then NHL players whom the association managed to get released for the home tournament.
Golden jubilee 2022: Most of the players in the Swedish team, where most were born in 2004, have already celebrated World Cup gold once. 14 of the players were involved in winning the U18 World Cup in Germany in April 2022.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki became the point king in that tournament.
Lekkerimäki and another seven from that team were in last season’s JVM where Sweden finished fourth.
Biggest talent: Macklin Celebrini is 17 years old and perhaps the biggest talent in the JVM tournament. The Canadian forward, who plays and studies at Boston University, is predicted to go first in next year’s NHL draft.
The Vancouver-born talent has scored 25 points (10+15) in 15 games in his rookie season in the NCAA so far.
Missing stars: 18-year-olds Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson, as well as Adam Fantilli, 19, went first, second and third in the NHL draft this summer and could have been three of the tournament’s biggest stars.
But they are so good that they already play in advanced roles in the NHL and are not released by their clubs to the JVM.
American Will Smith, 18, went fourth (San Jose) and is the highest drafted player from 2023 in this year’s tournament.
Last years’ gold teams, 2023: Canada, 2022: Canada, 2021: USA, 2020: Canada, 2019: Finland.
Crowd party: All of Sweden’s matches have been sold out for a long time, but there is still a chance that individual tickets will become available due to returns. According to the organizer, around 3,000 Canadian supporters are also expected in Gothenburg.
2023-12-22 05:00:49
#Guide #Sweden #chases #JVM #gold #home
