World Juniors Preview: Canada vs. Switzerland
Friday, December 22 | 9 a.m. ET | Ängelholm, Sweden | Pre-Tournament
GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWITZERLAND (DEC. 22)
It’s that point of 12 months once more! Canada’s National Junior Team continues its pre-tournament schedule Friday when it travels to Ängelholm to face off towards Switzerland forward of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Last Game
Canada is coming off an 8-0 exhibition victory over Denmark’s U25 staff on Tuesday. Three gamers — Fraser Minten (2-1—3) Macklin Celebrini (1-2—3) and Jordan Dumais (1-2—3) — had three-point efforts, whereas Denton Mateychuk added a pair of targets as Canada outshot the Danish facet 40-15.
Last Meeting
The final time the Canadians and Swiss confronted off was throughout pre-tournament motion in Moncton final 12 months. Canada got here away with a 6-0 victory in a recreation that noticed Shane Wright rating twice, Connor Bedard chip in with a trio of assists and Thomas Milic cease all 19 pictures he confronted.
The final official match assembly got here within the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Juniors in Edmonton; Logan Stankoven had two targets and an help, Tyson Foerster added one in every of every and Canada rode a four-goal first interval to a 6-3 win and a spot within the semifinals.
What to Watch
With Owen Beck being the lone returnee, Canada’s National Junior Team seems vastly completely different from the facet that gained gold in Halifax. But that doesn’t imply there isn’t something to get enthusiastic about. No, removed from it. This 12 months’s squad options 10 first-round NHL picks — Oliver Bonk, Easton Cowan, Nate Danielson, Conor Geekie, Maveric Lamoureux, Denton Mateychuk, Tanner Molendyk, Matthew Savoie, and Matthew Wood — together with present NHLers Tristan Luneau (Anaheim) and late addition Matthew Poitras (Boston). However, all eyes will definitely be on 17-year-old sensation Macklin Celebrini, the projected first-overall decide within the 2024 NHL Draft who has put up 25 factors in 15 video games with Boston University.
The Swiss have few acquainted faces to CHL followers, together with defenceman and Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio (Saginaw, OHL), goaltender Ewan Huet (Regina, WHL) – the son of longtime NHL netminder Cristobal Huet, who represented France on the 1995 World Juniors (Division B) – and forwards Leo Braillard (Lethbridge, WHL) and Miles Müller (Moncton, QMJHL). There are doubtlessly 5 gamers again from the staff that misplaced to Czechia within the quarterfinals and completed seventh within the Maritimes – Dionicio, Müller, Alessio Beglieri, Nick Meile and Jonas Taibel,
A Look Back
Since their preliminary encounter in 1980, Canada has by no means misplaced to the Swiss of their head-to-head historical past, profitable all 25 conferences, with 24 of them coming in regulation.
There have been two semifinal showdowns – in 2002, Steve Ott had two targets and an help and Pascal Leclaire posted a 35-save shutout in a 4-0 Canadian win, whereas Taylor Hall scored twice in a 6-1 victory in 2010.
All-time file: Canada leads 25-0-0 (1-0 in OT)
Canada targets: 160
Switzerland targets: 43
