As we turn our attention to the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, here are the top three games all Winnipeg Jets fans should watch in the first round.
We are only two days away from the start of the 2021 World Junior Championship and there is a lot to look forward to. The Winnipeg Jets have three prospects competing in the prestigious tournament.
Those three prospects are Ville Heinola and Henri Nikkanen of Finland and Cole Perfetti of Canada. Heinola and Perfetti both have contracts with the Jets and have the opportunity to be apart of the Jets’ roster this upcoming season.
Heinola made his NHL debut with Winnipeg last season and suited in eight games with the Jets, then was sent down and had a brief stint with the Manitoba Moose. He ultimately finished the season on loan in Finland. While, Perfetti just put pen to paper on November 9, to a three-year entry-level contract with an average annual value of $1,658,333 with Winnipeg.
On the other hand, Nikkanen is still unsigned by the Jets. This tournament is the perfect platform for the nineteen-year-old to show his worth and it could be a huge factor for him to earn a nice contract with Winnipeg.
Canada is the reigning champions and will be looking to retain the Gold medal on their home soil, while Finland lost in the Bronze medal game to Sweden.
Usually, the game to watch of the first round is when Canada faces off against the United States, which usually takes place on New Year’s Eve. The United States had a poor showing at last year’s tournament and the USA and Canada will be competing in separate groups. Therefore, the only time the U.S. and Canada can meet is in the quarterfinals or later in the tournament
Below are the groups for this years WJC:
GROUP A: Canada, Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany
GROUP B: USA, Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria
Each team plays every team in their group once. The top three teams in each group compete in the quarterfinals, while the two teams that finished last take on each other in a best-of-three relegation round. The loser of the relegation series gets sent down a division and has to re-qualify for the WJC and the winner of the relegation round is invited back for next year’s competition.
Here are the top three games to watch of the tournament: