There isn’t a more skilled team in this tournament. Up and down the lineup, Canada has the depth needed to make a serious run. But skill isn’t everything – finding chemistry quick like the United States with their built-in connections will be vital. Canada’s offense looks good and they’ve got a couple of goaltenders capable of winning big games. Can the blueline hold up their end of the bargain? It’s not a bad group back there by any means, but it’s not as deep as some other years.

But that’s being nitpicky. So much has already been made about who DIDN’T make this team, but the reality is that this group has some substantial playing power. You can’t just rely on pure skill, though – this isn’t an all-star event. Canada might be favorites to win it all, but getting everyone on the right page right away against the Finns and never backing down after that will be the key to victory. Canada won gold back in Ottawa back in 2009 off the heels of the incredible performance from Eberle – they’d love to replicate that again this year.

This is a rock-solid roster from start to finish. From core players being familiar to each other to some of the best depth available at every position, this is a clean-cut American team with so many dangerous elements to them. History might not be on USA’s side, but they rarely have a group this strong in back-to-back years. A total of 14 players on this team were taken in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft, and Hagens has a realistic shot at going No. 1. It’s hard to find this much skill in any year.

Canada might have a bit more pure skill, but it’s hard to bet against the Americans whenever the World Juniors come along. With a well-thought-out forward group, a stout blueline and one of the best – if not THE best – goaltender in the tournament, USA should find themselves in the gold medal game this year. The battle against Canada on Dec. 31 will likely decide who finishes in the top spot in Group A – and that win is going to matter to help them get the best quarterfinal placement possible.

Anything short of gold this year will be a disappointment.

Sweden has made it to the final four the past three years and this year shouldn’t be different. Having their massive round-robin win streak die a few years back seemingly took the pressure off the Swedes, but they still haven’t found a way to win gold since 2012. On paper, they might not be as good as Canada or USA, but they’ve got key pieces from their 2024 team back and ready to play even bigger roles this time around. Look for Sweden to win Group B and advance to the semifinal – but they’re going to need their offense firing on all cylinders if they’re going to finally take the top step of the podium.

The Finns mean business this year, bringing a lineup with some decent options at every position. They’re not as deep or as skilled as Canada, USA or Sweden, but they’ve got plenty of experience together and contain players looking to get revenge for early exits at the U-18s the past two years. Two things will be key: secondary scoring, and goaltending. Helenius, Kiiskinen and Halttunen are going to be relied on heavily to get pucks on net, but they need the depth options to show up as well. Goaltending-wise, they’ve got three options that all could realistically carry the load in net, but they need just one to stand up when it matters most. On paper, the Finns look like a third-place team in Group A, but they should be able to handle Czechia, Slovakia or Switzerland in the crossover playoff round if that ends up being the case. The Finns should be a medal contender, no question about it.

On paper, this feels like a Czech team that could have easily dismantled the groups we saw from about 2005 until the COVID-19 pandemic. There might not be a true game-breaker with Kulich gone – although Sale might be the closest to that, assuming he does indeed play – but there’s some real talent this year. The Czechs might have the edge over Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan in Group B, meaning their battle with the Swedes will be the one that could end up deciding who wins Group B. But finishing second in the quarterfinal means having to likely deal with one of Canada, USA and Finland – that’s where things could fall apart. Granted, we have seen the Czechs outwork more skilled opponents in recent years, but they might need some magic on their side to make it happen again this year.

After two straight trips to the bronze medal game at the U-18 level, there’s plenty of hype for this Slovak squad. Having two tournament veterans in Dvorsky and Strbak for another year helps – especially Dvorsky, who is one of the best pure offensive threats in this tournament. Their blueline might be the weak point, but it’s not bad. In fact, this feels like one of the more talented Slovak teams in quite a bit – one that many think should be in medal conversation.

Just looking at the schedule – other than the opening game against Sweden, the Slovaks look in good shape. And even then, they beat the Swedes in the shootout in a game back in August. While Sweden is definitely the top team in Group B, the Slovaks have a legitimate shot at challenging the Czechs for second in Group B. Sound good, Slovakian fans?

Swiss hockey fans know it: this team isn’t good enough to go past the quarterfinal. They can definitely keep things close against Czechia and Slovakia to kick the tournament off, but their best chance to win a game is against Kazakhstan on Dec. 31. That’s a must-win regardless. They have some decent defense and OK goaltending, but it doesn’t feel like the offense is anywhere close to what it needs to be to be competitive. If either Huet or Kirsch can strike gold, they could play spoiler in the round-robin, but that might be it.

It’s going to be an ugly start for the Germans, who have to face three teams that have combined to win the last 12 gold medals. The big task will be the game Dec. 30 against Latvia – one that’ll likely decide who advances to the quarterfinal, and who’ll fight for their lives in the relegation round. On paper, the two teams look quite equal, but it doesn’t help that the game will be about 18 hours after their fight against Canada.

Overall, Germany will be leaning on their younger players to bring speed and skill to the table. It’ll all come down to a coin flip as to who’ll advance to the quarterfinal – but even if Germany moves on, don’t expect them to go any further than that.

This is a young Latvian team that doesn’t have a ton of skill to work with. Some of their most talented players are 2008-born kids – not eligible until the 2026 and 2027 NHL Drafts. Still, the game against Germany on Dec. 30 is a winnable one – and it’s the one that’ll likely decide who goes to the quarterfinal. Latvia should have the edge over, say, Kazakhstan if the two meet in the relegation round, but avoiding that possibility has to be goal No. 1 at all costs.

Yeah, it’s going to be a disaster for the Kazakhs. Sure, they’ve got the baked-in chemistry from mostly playing together throughout the season, but it’s not a good group. There isn’t a game-changing forward like most newly promoted teams need to give them a chance. They’re lacking quality defense, and a lot of the pressure will be placed on a goalie who is a longshot to even get an NHL job down the line. All they need to do is win that relegation game to stay alive, but they’ve got the weakest team on paper and will need a few miracles along the way to make it work.