The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is back and is set to kick off in Truro, Nova Scotia, with some of the best players in Junior A hockey facing off with national pride and gold on the line. This year’s tournament starts on Dec. 10th and runs through to the 17th, with the host nation fielding two teams (Canada West and Canada East) while Team USA, Team Sweden, and Team Slovakia round out the tournament participants. You can find the tournament schedule by following this link, and you should be able to stream the games on Hockey Canada’s website.
The Russians are still not returning to international play as the war in Ukraine rages on. However, there will be plenty of fireworks between hockey rivals USA and Canada as both nations battle for the gold.
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This tournament may not have the exposure or fanfare of the World Junior Championships that will start later this month, but this is a critical tournament for many scouts and their evaluation process. Because most of the participants are players who are in leagues that allow them to retain their NCAA eligibility, they get far less exposure than players who are in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Because of the lower level of play and competition in many of the leagues that feed this tournament, it makes it difficult to evaluate some of these prospects fully.
If you look back at some of the tournament alumni, you’ll find names like Cale Makar, Kyle Turris, and Nikolaj Ehlers. All three were top 10 picks in their respective NHL entry draft classes and may not have had the opportunity to go that high had it not been for their play in this tournament.
Some prospects, such as Devon Levi and Alexander Romanov, may have slid down the draft boards or even been overlooked. This tournament may seem like a secondary thought, but to those in the scouting community, it is essential to assess.
Tournament Preview
Since the tournament began in 2006, Team Canada has entered with two teams – Canada East and Canada West. This year, Canada is going to try to win the World Junior A Challenge for the first time since 2017, when Team Canada West won its fifth gold medal in the international event. Teams USA, Slovakia, and Sweden will have a lot to say about that, as they are also all there to win and have rosters that could win a medal.
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Canada
Forward Andy Reist will play an important role for Canada East as a returning player and now as their captain. The Niagara University commit has 20 goals and 55 points in 28 games for the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) Coburg Cougars.
He will need to improve on his two points in six games in the 2022 tournament if he is to help the Eastern team win its first-ever gold medal.
The last time a Canadian team won gold, Truro, Nova Scotia, was the host city. A return to the maritime town may be poetic if they can repeat the feat and win the title in front of a rabid hometown crowd. That crowd will be especially supportive of the Canada East club, which boasts four Maritime Hockey League (MHL) players, including a big, puck-moving defenseman, Simon Mullen, who plays for the local Truro Bearcats and was born and raised in Truro.
Team Sweden
Team Sweden is coming off a successful debut, winning a bronze in 2022, and will look to improve on that result this year in Truro, led by players such as Victor Eklund and Jack Brodin, who have the skills to cause opposing teams fits. Måns Toresson is a player to watch for Sweden. The 6-foot-2 inch, 185-pound center is expected by some to be a second-round pick in 2024. He will likely play a vital offensive role for the defending bronze medal champs.
Team Slovakia
Team Slovakia is in for the first time and will be looking to continue their nation’s success internationally as an emerging hockey power. The team will have some names familiar to Canadian hockey fans, as players from the CHL will join their lineup. Luboš Stahoň of Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL), Damián Slávik of the Guelph Storm (Ontario Hockey League), and Andrej Tomašec of the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
With the addition of several young and promising CHL players to their roster, Slovakia will not be an easy team to play against. They have size and skill but will need to play a structured game to outperform deeper clubs in this tournament.
Team USA
But Team USA is the favorite heading into this tournament. They are the defending champions and are the winningest team in tournament history with the most medals in total (14) and the most gold (9). There are six NHL draft picks on their roster, highlighted by Columbus Blue Jackets fourth-round pick Andrew Strathmann, who is a returning member of the 2022 gold medal champion team. Also, University of Wisconsin commit, defenseman Jack Phelan, a 2023 fifth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings.
This tournament doesn’t draw the attention of hockey fans like its counterpart, the World Junior Championships, does, but it is one to keep an eye on as many players move on to become quality NHL prospects. This edition of the WJAC will be highly competitive and entertaining.
