Winnipeg Jets: Top Three World Junior Championship Games to Watch
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.
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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:
3. Finland vs Switzerland
12/30 1:00 p.m. CST
Besides the game at number one on our list, this should be one of Finland’s toughest games of the preliminary round. We get to see both Heinola and Nikkanen in action, in this one, when Finland takes on Switzerland.
Switzerland will have a new-look roster this year. They have a new core of goalies this year, as all three goalies for last year are ineligible due to age. The same can be said about their defense because six defensemen on last year’s roster are also ineligible due to being too old.
Last year, Switzerland shut down the defending gold medalists and beat Finland by a commanding scoreline of 5-2. Many people viewed this as Finland’s worst game of the tournament and put them in an extremely tough bracket for the elimination round of the tournament.
Losing to Switzerland set up a quarterfinal matchup against the USA, then if Finland got past the United States they would probably have to face off with Canada. That is exactly what happened. Finland upset the U.S. in an emotional quarterfinal game, then got destroyed by Canada in the semis.
Finland knows that a great preliminary round will give them an easier route to gold. In a perfect world for Finland, they go undefeated into their final first-round game against Canada. But first, they have to get past an inexperienced Switzerland team.
Look for Heinola to take control of this game and we could see all of his top skills on display in this matchup.
2. USA vs Russia
12/25 8:30 p.m. CST
Although the Winnipeg Jets may have no interest in this game, most people are saying this is the game of the first round to watch.
This game will have many NHL drafted players playing in it and it is built on a fierce rivalry. Even though these teams will faceoff on Christmas day, which is a day a family and celebration, do not expect this game to feel the same as the day.
Every time the United States faces off against Russia, these contests always seem to get chippy and feisty and this one should be no different.
The United States has a lot to prove in this tournament, after under-performing in 2020 and losing to Finland in the quarterfinals. Russia on the other hand is always a tough team to beat. Russia is looking for revenge after suffering a heartbreaking gold medal loss to Canada last year.
Russia had a two-goal lead with under twelve minutes remaining in the championship game, but Canada roared back and scored three unanswered to win the Gold 4-3.
Both teams will be looking to take all the points in this game and get off to a good start out of the gate. Also, both teams will be trying to avenge what happened to them in 2020.
On your Christmas night, get the popcorn out, cozy up by the television and tune in to this game because you definitely do not want to miss any action when these two heated rivals faceoff against each other!
1. Canada vs Finland
12/31 5:00 p.m. CST
This is the number one game that the whole Winnipeg Jets organization should tune into. All of the Jets prospects in this tournament will be competing against each other in this one.
2020 first-round pick, Cole Perfetti and Canada will be facing off against the 2019 first-round pick, Ville Heinola, and the 2019 fourth-round pick, Henri Nikkanen, and Finland.
The eighteen-year-old Perfetti was the second-leading scorer in the OHL last season with 37 goals and 44 assists and it will be interesting to see if Heinola and Finland’s defense can shut him down.
It will also be interesting to take note of how Heinola performs against Team Canada, who have a great amount of depth and are the early favorites of the tournament. Will Heinola be able to handle the pressure the Canadians throw at him?
With that being said, keep an eye on Nikkanen too. Most people from North America have yet to see Nikkanen play live and this is the perfect opportunity for him to show his talents. He will be looking to show his vision and play-making skills against a solid Canadian defense.
Each Jets prospect will be on display and will be looking to put on a show when Canada and Finland faceoff against each other on New Year’s Eve. If you are a Winnipeg Jet supporter and you are interested in watching this tournament, this is the game to watch.
At the outset of the tournament, these three games should be extremely fun to watch for all hockey fans. The games that Canada and Finland participate in should be great to watch for Winnipeg fans, regardless of what country they are rooting for, because the Winnipeg Jets prospects that are playing in those games may be the faces of the franchise in the future.
If you are located in Canada the games can be seen on TSN and if you are viewing from the United States the games will be on the NHL Network.
The tournament homepage, which has the full schedule, stats, and all relevant information about the competition can be found here.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Which WJC game are you most excited to watch? Leave your comments below!
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*All Stats Provided by Elite Prospects*