The 2022 World Junior Championships are happening at full force and the competition level is as good as always. On Wednesday, Team Canada is facing Team Germany in both teams’ third game of the tournament. It’ll be the third game of a four-game day in the World Juniors.
2022 World Junior Championships Predictions
Canada vs. Germany
The matchup between Canada and Germany is set to be a great one. Canada is coming from an 11-2 win against Austria on Tuesday, which could be an advantage for Germany considering they haven’t played since Monday. Both teams are loaded with a lot of talent and could go into their fourth and final game of the preliminary round with a win.
Team Canada
It’s no surprise that Canada is once again one of the best teams of the tournament. Even though their defence is made of left-handed defensemen, it hasn’t been a problem for them so far. The team is filled with talent from top to bottom and they have managed to succeed both offensively and defensively. Coming from last year’s upset, Canada has been playing a two-way, aggressive game with all players contributing in their roles.
The team has only two returnees this year with Kaiden Guhle and Cole Perfetti, and two underages in Connor Bedard and Shane Wright. Canada also has its very own powerhouse in Owen Power, who’s been nothing but stellar so far in the tournament. Their goaltending may be a problem against the Germans, as it is not as strong as in the past two years. Team Germany is obviously better than Czechia and Austria but the Canadians have been playing well enough to make it a balanced game.
Players To Watch
The first overall pick in the past draft has a spotlight in his back this year, having won the World Championship in May. Power is the main name in Canada’s roster and is definitely fun to watch. He is also the first Canadian defenceman to record a hat trick in the World Juniors and Germany will need to keep an eye on him. Another player who’s been playing extremely well is third overall pick Mason McTavish, who recorded two goals and an assist in the game against Austria. Connor Bedard is exceeding all expectations, recording a four-goal game against Austria, being the first to do so since Wayne Gretzky in 1977. Even though he won’t be scoring a whole lot of goals every game, he is still a delight to watch.
Team Germany
With Tim Stützle, JJ Peterka, Moritz Seider and Lukas Reichel all playing in the NHL and AHL, Team Germany couldn’t count on them to return for this year’s tournament. However, their absence hasn’t been a big problem for the Germans. Defenceman Luca Münzenberger is doing well for the team, having an assist and a goal so far in the tournament. Forward Alexander Blank has also been great for them, getting the overtime winner against the Czechs on Monday.
Germany has played a very simple but efficient game and their goaltending is also doing really well. Florian Bugl did a great job in the game against the Czechs, stopping 39 of the 40 shots faced. He posted a .975 save percentage and will likely be the starter against the strong, offensive Canadian team.
Players To Watch
Blank is obviously the highlight for Team Germany, having two goals and three points in two games. Defencemen Münzenberger and Danjo Leonhardt have also been succeeding in their roles and will provide more challenges to Canada’s skaters. And of course, Bugl – if he’s the starter against the Canadian team – who could be a pain for the opponent’s top scorers.
Prediction
With Canada playing the second of back-to-back games, Germany could have an advantage going into this game. However, the first is also coming from two wins, the last one being a double-digit score. The morale for the Canadians will be through the roof. It won’t be an easy game for any of the teams and it is set to be a very balanced one. With that said, Canada will take this one in overtime and go into Friday’s game against Finland with a 3-0-0 record.
Prediction: Canada wins in overtime 3-2
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