2022 wjc can swe 08 08

World Juniors Preview: Canada vs. Sweden

Monday, August 8 | 5 p.m. MT | Edmonton, Alberta | Pre-Tournament

Jason La Rose
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August 8, 2022
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GAME NOTES: CANADA VS. SWEDEN (AUG. 8)

We’re back! Just over seven months after COVID-19 shut down the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, Canada’s National Junior Team returns to the ice in Edmonton for its lone exhibition matchup ahead of the rescheduled World Juniors, taking on Sweden.

LAST GAME

Oh, what a night it was. All the way back on Dec. 28, one day before the tournament was cancelled, Canada eased past Austria 11-2 on the back of a historic four-goal effort from Connor Bedard. The Canadians spread around the scoring, getting goals from seven different players and points from 16 (including all 12 forwards). In addition to Bedard’s performance, Canada got two goals and an assist from Mason McTavish, and a goal and two helpers from Cole Perfetti as it outshot the Austrians 64-22.

The Swedes last saw the ice on Dec. 27, getting a goal in each period – from Theodor Niederbach, Albert Sjoberg and Daniel Ljungman – to back a tremendous 48-save effort from Jesper Wallstedt in a 3-0 win over Slovakia. Wallstedt made 13 saves in the first period, 17 in the second and 18 in the third to help the Swedes improve to 2-0 in Red Deer.

LAST MEETING

You’ve got to go back to the gold medal game in Buffalo to find the last time the Canadians and Swedes faced off at the World Juniors. In that one, Dillon Dubé and Tim Soderlund traded second-period goals, and overtime loomed before Tyler Steenbergen redirected in a feed from Conor Timmins with 1:40 left, becoming the 13th and final Canadian forward to score a goal. An empty-netter from Alex Formenton sealed a 3-1 win and a 17th World Juniors gold for Canada.

WHAT TO WATCH

Will there be any rust for the Canadians? Even the least-rested player – William Dufour last played June 29 when his Saint John Sea Dogs won the Memorial Cup – has been off for 40 days. Bedard has had the longest layoff; he last played a competitive game at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship on April 28, 102 days ago. But that’s what pre-tournament is all about, right? The exhibition contest will be a perfect chance for the Canadians – and the Swedes – to get their legs under them before preliminary-round play starts tomorrow.

The Swedish roster is stacked with first-round talent; towering blue-liner Simon Edvinsson (6th overall, Detroit, 2021) leads the way on the back end and Wallstedt (20th, Minnesota, 2021) will carry the load in goal, while the forward group includes Isak Rosen (14th, Buffalo, 2021), Jonathan Lekkerimäki (15th, Vancouver, 2022), Liam Öhgren (19th, Minnesota, 2022), Fabian Lysell (21st, Boston, 2021) and Oskar Olausson (28th, Colorado, 2021).

A LOOK BACK

This one won’t count towards the all-time records, but there have been 32 that have since 1977. The Canadians have won 22 of those, including four in the gold medal game (1996, 2008, 2009, 2018).

Only one Canadian has scored a hat trick against the Swedes at the World Juniors – Wayne Babych did it on New Year’s Day 1978 in Montreal, with all three coming off setups from 16-year-old Wayne Gretzky in a 6-5 loss.

All-time record: Canada leads 22-9-1 (2-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 139
Sweden goals: 88

For more information:

Esther Madziya
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 284-6484 

[email protected] 

Spencer Sharkey
Manager, Communications
Hockey Canada

(403) 777-4567

[email protected]

Jeremy Knight
Manager, Corporate Communications
Hockey Canada

(647) 251-9738

[email protected]

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