With Canadians (and a few Americans) putting the coffee on early and settling in for some high tempo hockey that offers up any number of story lines each year.
The World Juniors is in reality a two part festival of hockey, first and foremost one that takes the raw emotion of playing for your country and seeking to claim a championship, while a secondary aspect holds a fair amount of importance too, that being an auction if you will for those who are draft age eligible for the NHL draft in 2016.
Stand out players in the past have seen their stock rise sharply following a World Junior appearance, something not limited to North American players, the World Juniors provide a valuable measuring stick for NHL GM"s about lesser seen European players and those in the Russian system.
Performance either verifying what scouts have been saying or providing pause for six months down the road when tough decisions have to be made by NHL clubs.
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| Helsinki's Hartwell Arena is the centre piece of this years 2016 World Junior Tournament |
As we get closer towards the Boxing Day launch for the 2015-16 World Junior hockey championships from Finland, we'll offer up notes and observations about the tournament.
Collecting links from near and far to bring a sense of the lead up to the premier holiday tournament that there is for fans of hockey, an event that in recent years has provided TSN with some spectacular ratings numbers and long ago ripped the domination of the US college football finals from the Canadian television sports scene.
As part of our overview in the run up to the tournament launch, we'll provide our breakdown team by team for teams in both Pool A and Pool B.
Though to offer up some advance warning for those from Europe that occasionally check out our posts, we will be putting a particular focus on the North American teams heading to Finland to make their mark at this years event.
Once the tournament launches, we'll combine this Preview Page with our full Tournament coverage archive.
Tournament website
Hockey Canada website
Pre Tournament Schedule and Scores
Pool A
Canada
December 25 -- Five things to watch for Canada vs. United States
December 23 -- Will Canada's team at the 2-16 World Juniors be as good as lat year's? 10 questions ahead of the tournament
December 23 -- World Junior veterans say Canada needs to have fun to succeed
December 23 -- Canada faces early challenge in archrival U. S. at world juniors
December 23 -- Canada's Mitch Marner nets winner in wild 7-6 victory over Sweden
December 22 -- 2016 World Juniors in Finland a chance for Vancouver Canuck's Jake Virtanen to reconnect with his roots
December 20 -- Canada cuts four players to finalize world junior hockey championship roster ahead of tournament
December 20 -- Canada finalizes world junior hockey championship roster with four cuts
December 20 -- Canada cuts four to set world junior roster
December 19 -- What should go right or could go wrong for Canada at world juniors
December 19 -- Crouse, Point appear to be fine after injury scares
December 19 -- 'Well rounded game by the guys"
December 19 -- Canada beats Belarus in world junior tune-up
December 19 -- Strome picks up player of the game
December 19 -- Canada dumps Belarus in exhibition game
December 18 -- Canucks won't send McCann to World Juniors
December 18 -- Strome's game much like Ron Francis
December 18 -- 'Skill, skill, skill' has become Hockey Canada's new golden mantra
December 18 -- Fleury not taking anything for granted
December 17 -- Holiday for Canada's World Juniors is over
December 17 -- Point's play making ability key for Canada
December 17 -- World Junior's should offer tantalizing glimpse of Leafs' future
December 16 -- Marner on his development, identity of Team Canada
December 15 -- Canada's coaches looking to develop 'best prepared team' for world juniors
December 14 -- Cuts to junior hockey team will ge more difficult: head coach (video)
December 14 -- Brayden Point's return from injury adds depth to Canada's junior team
December 13 -- Blackwood 'fortunate' to only miss two games at world juniors
December 13 -- Joe Hicketts eagerly awaits dynamic duo
December 13 -- Canada's world junior team cuts Dal Colle, Watson, Dubois, Chychrun
December 13 -- Team Canada's Anthony Beauvillier nets hat trick to lead world-junior squad to big win over CIS all-stars
December 13 -- Canada's work junior squad gains 'leadership and experience' with addition of Canucks' Jake Virtanen
December 13 -- Canucks' Jake Virtanen joins Canada's world Junior championship roster
December 13 -- Canucks loan Virtanen to world junior squad
December 12 -- Team Canada World Junior squad upset by CIS all-star team in exhibition game
December 12 -- Draft eligible Canadian juniors have plenty to prove
December 11 -- Hicketts goes into second Canadian junior camp with different perspective
December 11 -- Team Canada's Mitch Marner, Dylan Strome renew friendship on top line
December 11 -- Junior stars Mitch Marner, Dylan Strome getting closer all the time
December 11-- Canada's Dunn leaves world junior camp due to injury
December 10 -- Blackwood's suspension means third Canadian goalie for world Juniors
December 10 -- Canada's Joe Hicketts brings plenty of experience back for another round with world juniors
December 10 -- Top juniors will have to adapt to roles with Canada
December 10 -- Juniors about to discover Canada's net worth
December 9 -- Canada's golden 2015 World Junior team already making NHL impact
December 9 -- Defending world junior champions showing they're NHL-ready
December 9 -- Where are the players from Canada's 2015 world junior team now?
December 9 -- OHL suspends junior national goalie Blackwood for eight games
December 9 -- As Hicketts heads to world junior camp, Royals may be tempted to trade him
December 9 -- Team Canada prospects better pack their work ethic for camp
December 8 -- Team Canada takes hit with Blackwood suspension
December 7 -- WHL braces as teams set to lose talent to world junior squads
December 7 -- 2017 world junior tickets on sale in Montreal and Toronto
December 5 -- Boston University D-man and Flames prospect Brandon Hickey heads to junior selection camp
December 4 -- Buffalo taking world junior tournament outdoors in 2018
December 3 -- Buffalo to include outdoor game at 2018 World Junior hockey championships
December 3 -- Buffalo to host 2018 World Jr. hockey championships and feature outdoor game
December 3 -- Buffalo to host 2018 world juniors
December 2 -- Calgary Flames prospects Brandon Hickey, Mason McDonald go camping with Canada's world junior squad
December 2 -- Draft-eligible players could impact Team Canada
December 2 -- Canada welcomes Walman with open arms
December 1 -- Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Mitch Marner continues to impress with the London Knights: 'He's been doing amazing things with the puck'
December 1 -- Canada loads up on offence for world junior selection camp roster
December 1 -- Strome, Marner in running for place on Canada's junior hockey team
December 1 -- Strome, Marner headline Canada's world junior selection camp roster
December 1 -- Canada seeking talent, not role players when it comes to assembling world junior roster
December 1 -- Canada unveils world junior selection camp roster
United States
December 25 -- Relaxed Ron Wilson happy to be behind a bench again, coaching hockey
December 25 -- American Auston Matthews could be the biggest obstacle between Canada and world junior gold
December 20 -- Team USA's Auston Matthews playing like a man
December 20 -- Team USA expected to be a top contender at the world juniors even with some curious roster omissions
December 14 -- Portland Winterhawks forward Paul Bittner has hip surgery, out indefinitely
December 14 -- U. S. National Junior Team Camp Starts Tomorrow in Boston
December 14 -- Matthews excited to help U. S. prepare for 2016 WJC
December 8 -- Crookston's Paul Bittner selected to 2016 U. S. National Junior Team Preliminary Roster
December 7 -- 2016 U. S. National Junior Team Preliminary Roster set
December 7 -- Matthews tops U. S. World Junior camp invite list
December 7 -- Four Blue Jackets prospects named to Team USA's preliminary World Junior roster
December 7 -- Krys on USA Hockey preliminary roster for world juniors
December 7 -- Ryan Collins named to US World Juniors roster
December 7 -- Bittner named to U. S. world prelim roster
December 7 -- Matthews, Werenski highlight Team USA World Junior preliminary roster
December 4 -- Buffalo World Juniors announcement proof of hockey's rise in U. S.
December 4 -- Buffalo ready to host world spectacle
December 4 -- World Juniors hockey tournament returning to Buffalo in 2018
December 4 -- Buffalo taking world junior tournament outdoors in 2018
December 3 -- Buffalo to include outdoor game at 2018 World Junior hockey championships
December 3 -- Buffalo to host 2018 World Jr. hockey championships and feature outdoor game
Sweden
December 7 -- Nylander brothers invited to Sweden WJC camp
December 7 -- Nylanders earn world juniors shot with Sweden
December 4 -- Nylander hopeful for World Junior spot
Denmark
Switzerland
Pool B
Russia
December 4 -- Regina Pat's Sergey Zborovskiy earns tryout with Russian world junior team
Slovakia
Czech Republic
December 14 -- Petes' Masin named captain of Czech Republic's national junior team
December 2 -- Czech Republic announces invites for WJC camp
Finland
December 10 -- Confidence key for Finnish draft prospect Laine
December 7 -- Top 2016 draft picks top Finland WJC camp roster
Belarus
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