Team Canada kicked off this year’s seminal junior hockey tournament Friday night with a pre-tournament match-up against Russia which they lost 2-1 in overtime.
They now move on to the Nation’s Capital Sunday night to take on another of this tournament’s favourites in Team Sweden. (7PM EST, TSN2) Hockey fans in Ottawa will be streaming to the Canadian Tire Centre to support their boys in what should prove to be an entertaining match-up that features some of hockey’s brightest future stars, Connor McDavid and Oliver Kylington.
Habs prospect and 34th overall pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft Jacob de la Rose is also surely to be a factor in team Sweden’s offense. Swedes were hoping to get another chance to see Washington Capital’s prospect Andre Burakowsky in action, but in a strange move by the Capitals, he was sent down to their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. Regardless, both teams are stacked with talent and size, and with this being an opportunity for both teams to prepare for the “real games” starting December 26th, no single player in either line up is going to take this game lightly.
Sweden will look to get past the disappointment of last year’s second-place finish in a hurry. Just like their opponent, Sweden will be looking to go all the way this year, adorning their golden jerseys with golden medals, and what better way to get started than with a tune-up game against a team they may have to beat to claim their first gold medal since 2012. Meanwhile, Team Canada looks to regain its standing in the junior hockey world, having to answer a lot of questions over the past few days in regards to their dismal performances (dismal because, no medal) in the last five World Junior tournaments which has seen them collect only three medals, none of them gold.
“With it being on our soil and with the home crowd behind us and stuff like that, I don’t see any reason why this can’t be the year for Canada,” McDavid said. “It’s our game, hockey’s our game and it’s our pride, it’s our joy and it’s our job to put the belief back into Canadians.”– Conor McDavid [TSN]
You can watch the game on TSN2, and listen in on the TSN radio network. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM EST.
Projected Lineups
| Left Wing |
Center |
Right Wing |
| Max Domi | Sam Reinhart | Anthony Duclair |
| Robby Fabbri | Connor McDavid | Curtis Lazar |
| Nic Petan | Nick Paul | Lawson Crouse |
| Nick Ritchie | Frederik Gauthier | Jake Virtanen |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Josh Morrissey | Madison Bowey |
| Darnell Nurse | Shea Theodore |
| Sam Morin | Joe Hicketts |
| Goaltenders |
| Eric Comrie |
| Zachary Fucale |
Scratched: Dillon Heatherington, Brayden Point
| Left Wing | Center |
Right Wing |
| Jacob de la Rose | Lucas Wallmark | Victor Olofsson |
| Adrian Kempe | William Nylander | Adam Brodecki |
| Oskar Lindblom | Axel Holstrom | Anton Blidh |
| Anton Karlsson | Christoffer Ehn | Gustav Forsling |
| Left Defense |
Right Defense |
| Sebastian Aho | Robert Hagg |
| Oliver Kylington | Robin Norell |
| William Lagesson | Julius Bergman |
| Goaltenders |
| Jonas Johansson |
| Linus Soderstrom |
Scratched: Rasmus Asplan, Jens Looke, Leon Bristedt,
