Hurting for hockey during the long summer months? The 2022 World Junior Championship is here to help.
Normally a winter tournament, the 2022 World Juniors had to be rescheduled due to outbreaks of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in December. The results of the few games that were initially played will be tossed out and a new tournament will run from August 9-20 in Edmonton, A.B.
The upshot for fans of the Vancouver Canucks is that just one Canucks prospect played in the initial tournament — Dmitri Zlodeev for Russia — but the replay will feature three Canucks prospects.
Zlodeev won’t be at the tournament — Russia has been suspended from international play by the International Ice Hockey Federation due to the invasion of Ukraine — but Sweden, Finland, and Team USA will all feature one Canucks prospect each.
All of the World Junior games will be broadcast on at least one of TSN’s five channels. Each country will play four games during the round robin stage from August 9-15, then quarterfinals will be played on August 17, semifinals on August 19, and the bronze and gold medal games on August 20.
When will the Canucks prospects be playing? Read on.
Sweden - Jonathan Lekkerimäki
The Canucks top pick is expected to play a major role for Sweden after he was the highest Swede taken in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Lekkerimäki, who just turned 18 and will still be eligible for two more World Junior tournaments after this one, has been playing on Sweden’s second line and first power play unit in pre-tournament action.
Lekkerimäki dominated the most recent World Under-18 Championship, scoring 5 goals and 15 points in just 6 games to lead the tournament in scoring. Sweden will be hoping for a taste of that performance in the World Juniors.
While three other prospects were at Sweden’s World Junior evaluation camp — Jonathan Myrenberg, Lucas Forsell, and Elias Pettersson — but that was more about making the 2023 World Junior tournament.
When and where to watch Lekkerimäki
- Wednesday, August 10 - Sweden vs Switzerland - 11 a.m. PDT - TSN 1/3
- Friday, August 12 - Austria vs Sweden - 11 a.m. PDT - TSN 5
- Sunday, August 14 - USA vs Sweden - 7 p.m. PDT - TSN 3
- Monday, August 15 - Sweden vs Germany - 7 p.m. PDT - TSN 3/5
Finland - Joni Jurmo
The Canucks’ first pick in 2020 NHL Entry Draft didn’t come until the third round, where they took a home run swing on a big defencemen with great tools. It’s easy to see what Canucks scouts saw in the 6’4” Joni Jurmo — beyond his size, he’s a superb skater, with silky hands.
Up until now, Jurmo hasn’t received much love from Finland’s national team and he hasn’t played in any major tournaments for his country. Last year, ahead of the initial 2022 World Juniors, Jurmo wasn’t even invited to Finland’s camp. It seemed like it was Jurmo’s last chance, as he turned 20 in April and won't be eligible for next year's tournament.
The rescheduled tournament has given Jurmo another shot, however, and this time he made the team, perhaps because the Finnish hockey authorities saw how he had improved the defensive side of his game this past season with Jukurit in the Liiga, Finland’s top professional league.
It remains to be seen how much ice time Jurmo will receive as one of eight defencemen on the roster, but even making the roster is a positive sign for his development, and with his mobile style and size, he could be a difference maker for Finland.
When and where to watch Jurmo
- Tuesday, August 9 - Latvia vs Finland - 3 p.m. PDT - TSN 1
- Thursday, August 11 - Finland vs Czechia - 11 a.m. PDT - TSN 3/4
- Sunday, August 14 - Finland vs Slovakia - 11 a.m. PDT - TSN 3/4
- Monday, August 15 - Canada vs Finland - 3 p.m. PDT - TSN 3/5
USA - Jacob Truscott
Truscott, taken in the fifth round by the Canucks in 2020, is in a similar boat to Jurmo. While Truscott was playing in the US National Team Development Program, he had never represented Team USA at a major tournament.
When he was one of the last cuts from Team USA in December, it was a tough blow — like Jurmo, he turned 20 in April, so it was his last chance to play in a World Junior tournament. The rescheduled tournament gave him a new lease on life, and this time he made the cut.
Truscott was initially billed as an offensive, puck-moving defenceman, but he’s rounded out his defensive game at the University of Michigan and added penalty killing to his toolbox. His physicality stood out at the Canucks’ recent development camp, as he dominated puck battles along the boards.
Like Jurmo, it’s unclear how much ice time Truscott will get with eight defencemen on the roster, but he played with Luke Hughes at Michigan. If Team USA likes their chemistry together, Truscott could end up playing a significant role.
When and where to watch Truscott
- Tuesday, August 9 - USA vs Germany - 7 p.m. PDT - TSN 1/4
- Thursday, August 11 - Switzerland vs USA - 7 p.m. PDT - TSN 4
- Saturday, August 13 - Austria vs USA - 11 a.m. PDT - TSN 5
- Sunday, August 14 - USA vs Sweden - 7 p.m. PDT - TSN 3
