No country has three-peated at the World Juniors since Canada accomplished that feat in the late 2000s. Will that change in 2024?
The 2024 World Juniors is right around the corner, as the annual IIHF U20 tournament is set to begin right after the holidays. Canada enters this year’s competition as defending, back-to-back gold medalists, coming off championship wins at the 2022 and 2023 editions of the event.
The beauty of the World Juniors is that there is a constant turnover in personnel, and for Canada, it’s going to be practically an entire roster overhaul in 2024.
The lone returner from the 2023 championship team is Canadiens prospect Owen Beck. The Peterborough Petes forward was one of the final cuts last year, but was added in the middle of the tournament after Blackhawks draft pick Colton Dach suffered a shoulder injury.
So who else will be suiting up for the maple leaf? There are plenty of new faces to the World Juniors scene, but there should be a number of familiar names. Canada has a total of 10 NHL first-round picks on the roster this year, headlined by Matthew Savoie (Sabres), Conor Geekie (Coyotes), Matthew Wood (Predators), Nate Danielson (Red Wings) and Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets). In addition, Macklin Celebrini, regarded as the potential No. 1 pick in 2024, will be with the team in Sweden.
MORE: Watch the 2024 World Juniors with Fubo (free trial in U.S.)
Canada also is receiving reinforcements from the NHL, as Bruins center Matthew Poitras is being loaned from Boston to Hockey Canada for the U20 tournament. It’s Poitras’ first time representing Canada at the World Juniors.
Unfortunately for Canadian fans, there will be no Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli at the tournament. While the two members of the 2023 gold medal squad are eligible to return, both will remain with their respective NHL teams.
Here is a look at the players that will represent Team Canada for the 2024 World Juniors.
Team Canada 2024 World Juniors roster
Forwards
Player Team (League) NHL Rights Owen Allard Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 2024 Draft Owen Beck* Peterborough (OHL) Canadiens Macklin Celebrini Boston University (NCAA) 2024 Draft Easton Cowan London (OHL) Maple Leafs Nate Danielson Brandon (WHL) Red Wings Jordan Dumais Halifax (QMJHL) Blue Jackets Conor Geekie Wenatchee (WHL) Coyotes Fraser Minten Saskatoon (WHL) Maple Leafs Matthew Poitras Boston (NHL) Bruins Carson Rehkopf Kitchener (OHL) Kraken Matthew Savoie Wenatchee (WHL) Sabres Matthew Wood UConn (NCAA) Sabres Brayden Yager Moose Jaw (WHL) Penguins
Defense
Player Team (League) NHL Rights Oliver Bonk London (OHL) Flyers Jorian Donovan Brantford (OHL) Senators Jake Furlong Halifax (QMJHL) Sharks Maveric Lamoureux Drummondville (QMJHL) Coyotes Denton Mateychuk Moose Jaw (WHL) Blue Jackets Ty Nelson North Bay (OHL) Kraken Noah Warren Victoriaville (QMJHL) Ducks
Goalies
Player Team (League) NHL Rights Scott Ratzlaff Seattle (WHL) Sabres Mathis Rousseau Halifax (QMJHL) 2024 Draft Samuel St-Hilaire Sherbrooke (QMJHL) 2024 Draft
* – returner from 2023 roster
When do the 2024 World Juniors start?
Start date: December 26, 2023End date: January 5, 2024
The 2024 tournament kicks off the day after Christmas, Dec. 26.
The group stage will take place over the first six days. The quarterfinals will be played on Jan. 2, the semifinals on Jan. 4 and the tournament will conclude with the bronze and gold medal games on Jan. 5.
How to watch 2024 World Juniors games on TV, live stream
TV channel (Canada): TSNLive stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN appTV channel (U.S.): NHL NetworkLive stream (U.S.): Fubo
TSN and the NHL Network will once again be home to all of the action for the 2024 World Juniors.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN or can stream the games through TSN.ca or on the TSN app.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream them through Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Where is the 2024 World Juniors?
Location: Gothenburg, SwedenVenue: Scandinavium/Frolundaborg
This year’s World Juniors is being played outside North America for the first time since before COVID. Gothenburg, Sweden is the host site for the 2024 tournament.
The games in Gothenburg will be split between Scandinavium and Frolundaborg, two arenas in the city. Group A will play at Scandanavium, while Group B will be at Frolundaborg. The quarterfinals will be split between the two sites before Scandinavium hosts the semifinals and medal matches.
Canada is a part of Group A that will be at Scandanavium. In addition to the returning gold medalists, Group A includes host country Sweden, Finland, Germany and Latvia.
Gothenburg was supposed to host the 2022 World Juniors, however, the IIHF moved the site to Halifax, N.S. and Moncton, N.B. instead due to COVID. This is the first time Gothenburg will host the U20 competition, and seventh time the tournament is being held in Sweden.
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