Future NHL Stars Litter IIHF World Junior Championships

Lately, it's been little more than a showcase for the great talent found in Canada. However, the IIHF World Junior Championships -- which begin Saturday in Saskatoon and Regina, Sask. -- promise to showcase a slew of top young players from all over the world.

Outside of the World Championships, the WJC -- officially the World Under 20 Championships -- are probably the most anticipated international event annually. This year's tournament is no different, and it's buoyed by increased television coverage in the United States, along with interest that is on the rise among all hockey fans.

There are multiple reasons for the increased interest in this tournament. First off, it's really good, intense hockey. Anyone who doesn't think the players take it seriously need to just watch this clip from the 2009 tournament. John Tavares scored a great goal for Canada, acted like a hot dog, and skated by the United States bench. From there, multiple people, representing each team, did dumb things to escalate the tension.



No, it's not always wide-open. However, these are the top young players in the world, and there is plenty of skill on display. This tournament should serve as a fun warm-up for the Olympics, which are less than two months away in Vancouver.

With action set to start the day after Christmas, here's a look at the United States and Canadian rosters, along with a peek at the other top players who will be participating.

Canada

The Canadians have owned this event, with five straight titles. They've also medaled 11 straight years, and the host country has to be considered a heavy favorite to win again.

This is an older team, with only one draft-eligible player on the roster. That one is a good one. Forward Taylor Hall is considered one of the favorites to be the top pick in next summer's draft. Hall suffered a bit of a scare during Sunday's pre-tournament game with Sweden, but he should be good to go for the tournament.

Among the 12 forwards already drafted, Canada boasts five first-round picks. Among them are Nazem Kadri (NHL rights: Toronto), Brayden Schenn (Los Angeles), and Jordan Caron (Boston), all of whom are 2009 first-rounders. They're joined by 2008 first-rounders Greg Nemisz (Calgary) and Jordan Eberle (Edmonton) -- the hero of last year's semifinal matchup with Russia.

Consider this: Canada is so deep at forward that Tyler Seguin, who sits atop Central Scouting's fall rankings of North American skaters, didn't make this team.

Eberle, Steffan Della Rovere (Washington), and team captain Patrick Cormier (New Jersey) are the only forwards who return from last year's team.

On defense, returnees Ryan Ellis (Nashville) and Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis) serve as the anchors. Marco Scandella (Minnesota), Jared Cowen (Ottawa), and Colten Teubert (Los Angeles) add size and strength to the group. If Canada has a weakness, it might be found in goal, where Blues prospect Jake Allen will be backed up by free agent Martin Jones.

Of course, for opponents to put any kind of serious test on Allen, they have to get through the rest of the team while maintaining possession of the puck.

Just like last year, this is going to be a dangerous team for anyone to face, especially considering they're (again) on home ice.

United States

There was great disappointment for the Americans last year.

Team USA got through to their final preliminary-round game -- against Canada -- with a clean record, and would have earned a first-round bye in the medal round had they won the game. Not only did they blow an early 3-0 lead in a decisive loss to Canada, but they managed to lose to Slovakia in the quarterfinals, ending their tournament run early.

In the end, the Americans had to settle for a fifth-place finish.

A roster that promises to be full of new faces heads to Saskatchewan this week for a chance at redemption.

Three-time World Juniors participant Jordan Schroeder (Vancouver), a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, will be counted on to have a huge tournament and lead the offense. Schroeder is a dynamic skater, a great passer, and he has a deceiving shot.

The other returnees from last year's team are forwards Danny Kristo (Montreal) and Tyler Johnson (undrafted). Team USA has speed and skill up front, and they appear set to employ a mix of NCAA and major junior talents for this team.

On the backline rests the Americans' only AHL player on the team. Former Washington first-round pick John Carlson is currently playing for the Hershey Bears of the AHL, waiting for his shot at the big club. He'll be joined as a top defenseman on this team by Windsor Spitfires star Cam Fowler (2010 draft eligible), likely to be a high pick next summer.

In goal, St. Cloud (Minn.) State freshman Mike Lee (Phoenix) and OHL-bound Jack Campbell (2010 draft eligible) will vie for playing time. Lee started Saturday night in a pre-tournament game against the University of North Dakota, but things could change before the tournament opener Saturday.

Like Canada, Team USA is inexperienced in goal, and they have some serious talent all over the ice. The difference between the two -- depth -- can be made up in the coaching department. Accomplished college coach Dean Blais is running the show this year. He has some international and NHL experience, but his best work has been done in college hockey. He won two national championships at North Dakota and is now coaching at Nebraska-Omaha.

Best of the Rest

It was mildly surprising that the Americans did not medal last year. Instead, it was Slovakia who moved into medal position, only to fall to Russia 5-2 for the bronze. Slovakia is not expected to be among the serious medal contenders this year, but there are often surprises in a tournament like this.

Russia and Sweden should join the U.S. and Canada in the semifinals. The Swedes have a number of top prospects, including defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Phoenix) and Tim Erixon (Calgary). Forwards Jacob Josefson (New Jersey), Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson (Edmonton), and Carl Klingberg (Atlanta) are all high draft picks and NHL prospects worth watching. Panthers prospect Jacob Markstrom (Florida) leads the way in goal, where he had a strong 2009 tournament.

While Sweden has a solid core of high draft picks, Russia could be a more balanced team and just as big a threat to Canada as they ended up being last year. However, there are some potentially huge setbacks for the Russian effort. Defensemen Dmitri Kulikov of Florida and Vyacheslov Voynov (Los Angeles) were not released by their teams to take part in the tournament. Kulikov is on the Panthers' NHL roster, while Voynov is playing for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.

Former Columbus Blue Jacket Nikita Filatov -- now with CSKA Moscow -- leads a deep and talented team. Ivan Telegin (2010 draft eligible), Alexander Burmistrov (2010 draft eligible), and Maxim Kitsyn (2010 draft eligible) will see plenty of minutes up front for Russia.

If you are looking for a surprise, how about Finland? They're off a tough seventh-place finish last year, but led by a top scorer in Teemu Hartikainen (Edmonton).

Format

The 10-team tournament is divided into two five-team groups. Group A consists of Canada, Latvia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United States. Group B has Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.

The preliminary round, starting Saturday, will see each team play four games, one against each member of their group. The top team from each group gets a bye into the tournament semifinals Jan. 3, while the second- and third-place teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals one day earlier.

The bronze-medal and championship games are both scheduled for Jan. 5. Saskatoon will play host to all Group A games, as well as all the medal-round matches. Group B games will be contested in Regina.