We're in December, and do you are aware of what it means? That's right! It's the most beautiful season of the year, because it gets closer to the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships 2022 Live is quickly coming up.

Fans of hockey eagerly await this tournament as it's been a tradition for the holidays and has seen a tremendous growth since the first time it was a tournament in 1977. Although last year's event was different from what we've witnessed in the past but it was an event to be remembered. This year's event should bring an opportunity to compete at the similar level of competition.



With no bubble , and expectations that the fans will be permitted to go into the arenas, it creates a sense normality that we've come to prior to the outbreak. The sight of fans cheering for their country during an international tournament is likely to have a greater impact this time. The tournament starts on Dec . 26 beginning with Finland and Germany starting the event, and the tournament will conclude on January 5 when the gold medal match.

Edmonton and Red Deer Remain as Host

While they were the host of the event last year, Edmonton and Red Deer are hosting the 2022 event. In the beginning, the event was planned to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden. The tournament will be played on Rogers Place, home of the Edmonton Oilers, and ENMAX Centrium which is home to the Red Deer Rebels.

Due to the fact that there was a bubble structure and no fans inside the arena the previous year, this could be a chance for them to get that interaction with the fans as cases are quite low in comparison to the year before. Although hockey continued be enjoyed, the experience was not as enjoyable without fans who attended and cheering for their teams.

The fact that fans are permitted to observe the games this year the rules are like that of how NHL has done a good job of putting strong procedures that are in place for fans entering the arena. Hockey Canada has stated that those who have been fully vaccinated ticket holders can participate, while under the rules of a National Interest Exemption.

Gothenburg will still be able to enjoy their host duties, as they will also be hosting for the 2024 event. Russia will host the event next year's tournament. Omsk as well as Novosibirsk being the two cities in which the games will be held.

Participating Teams

There is usually an unlucky team at the conclusion of the tournament in earlier in the year. Due to various circumstances related to the pandemic and the pandemic, the team that would have been eliminated still has the right to play in the tournament this year.

The team was Austria which was 10th in the last season and would've been delegated in the first place had the rules originally been in place. Another team could be moved to the top group. This year , they are still in the top group and are able to play.

The Group A is located at Red Deer and will consist of USA, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland. The Group B is located in Edmonton and includes Canada, Finland, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria.

Team USA will be looking at defending their crown, as there will be plenty of players that could play in the race to be a part of and a spot, which includes a lot of players who are eligible for the draft in 2022. Canada did not win the perfect event in the past, but they are set to have a strong roster as they attempt to take revenge for the second-place finish of last year. Each team will missing important players from last year, but the potential is still there.

William Eklund will look to be a major force in the tournament during the tournament, as Sweden seeks to rebound after a disappointing end which saw them lose in the quarter-finals. Eklund was not able to participate in the tournament last year after being tested positive for COVID-19. He will expect to be among Sweden's top players this time around. Russia is another team with an unsatisfactory finish, but had a strong team with a star goalie Yaroslav Askarov. A young phenom, and top 2023 prospect Matvei Michkov is sure to be an added benefit.

Award Winners in 2021 WJC

Ottawa Senators third overall pick in 2020 Tim Stutzle was named top forward in the tournament. Although Germany faced a difficult start as they dealt with an outbreak of COVID-19 but It was Stutzle who was the most influential player regardless of the circumstances the team was faced with. Stutzle was the first spot in team scoring with 10 points. He also with a third place overall scoring for the tournament. The German was always a game-breaker and was the main reason Germany reached the quarter-finals . He provided Russia an impressive run before being defeated 2 to 1.

For the second year in a row an Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman won the top defenseman award. The third-round selection (64th overall) Topi Niemela got that award following Rasmus Sandin was awarded the award in the year 2020. He averaged more than the mark of a point per game in the tournament, scoring seven games with eight points. Finland had a strong defense depth and Niemela impressed the crowd with his skill on both ends of the hockey rink. Niemela played long minutes and played a crucial role in helping Finland win bronze.

In a tournament featuring Askarov along with Spencer Knight, it was Devon Levi that stole show as the tournament's best goalie. When he first arrived at camp, a relative unknown player, Levi was able to make his mark as the team's starter Canadians. He was selected as his team the Florida Panthers 212th overall in 2020, now with Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres- Levi owned the highest save percentage of .964 and the goals against average of 0.75 and also allowed the smallest number of goals with just five. Even with these numbers, Canada was not able to match the US and earned silver.

It was a battle of the titans with Dylan Cozens (Buffalo Sabres) and Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks) in which both teams gave an offensive display during the tournament. But, Zegras ultimately gained an advantage due to his two points during the gold medal game helped him come out ahead as the Tournament MVP. The Ducks ninth-ranked pick in 2019 was absolutely dominant, scoring 18 points over seven games, and 25 shots on the goal. He was the primary driver for the Americans offensive from start to end, assisting the team to win their fifth championship at the championship.

Levi, Bowen Byram, Ville Heinola, Zegras, Stutzle and Dylan Cozens were selected as the top media stars of the tournament.

2022 WJC Schedule

If you're looking to keep track of a particular player or team here's an entire schedule of matches in the tournament including the games in the medal round. The games will be broadcast via TSN and the NHL Network (United States) and TSN (Canada).

Dec 26

Finland versus Germany (2 p.m. ET)
Russia versus Sweden (4:30 p.m. ET)
Czech Republic versus (Canada 7 p.m. ET)
United States versus (Slovakia 9:30 p.m. ET)

Dec 27

Austria versus Finland (2 p.m. ET)
Russia versus Switzerland (4:30 p.m. ET)
Germany versus Czech Republic (7 p.m. ET)
Sweden versus Slovakia (9:30 p.m. ET)

Dec 28

Switzerland versus United States (4:30 p.m. ET)
Austria versus Canada (7 p.m. ET)

Dec 29

Finland versus Czech Republic (2 p.m. ET)
Slovakia versus Russia (4:30 p.m. ET)
Canada versus Germany (7 p.m. ET)
Sweden versus United States (9:30 p.m. ET)

Dec 30

Czech Republic versus Austria (4:30 p.m. ET)
Slovakia versus Switzerland (7 p.m. ET)

Dec 31

Germany versus Austria (2 p.m. ET)
Switzerland versus Sweden (4:30 p.m. ET)
Canada versus Finland (7 p.m. ET)
United States versus Russia (9:30 p.m. ET)

Jan 2

Quarterfinal 1 (2:30 p.m. ET)
Quarterfinal 2 (5 p.m. ET)
Quarterfinal 3 (7:30 p.m. ET)
Quarterfinal 4 (10 p.m. ET)

Jan 4

Semifinal 1 (3 p.m. ET)
Semifinal 2 (7 p.m. ET)

Jan 5

Third-place game (4 p.m. ET)
Championship game (8 p.m. ET)