IIHF World Junior Championship Futures: United States Is Home Favorite

For hockey fans, Boxing Day is almost like Christmas 2.0. The holidays can at times make us weary, like when you wind up spending your entire paycheck on gifts and then listening to a family complain about how they didn’t like their present (I thought … IIHF World Junior Championship Futures: United States Is Home Favorite weiterlesen →

For hockey fans, Boxing Day is almost like Christmas 2.0. The holidays can at times make us weary, like when you wind up spending your entire paycheck on gifts and then listening to a family complain about how they didn’t like their present (I thought you liked candles, Mother!) . So, when December 26 rolls around, hockey fans know it is time to move on in the gift-giving and find a present they’ll really enjoy with the annual IIHF world junior hockey tournament. Here are the four teams that bettors must have on their radar to win the 42nd edition of the championship.
UNITED STATES (+125)
The reigning champion and favorite on BetOnline, the usa is a good pick to take home the gold again in this year’s tourney. They’ll be returning goaltender Joseph Woll, who had been on the squad this past year and was exceptional in the 2 matches he played. The primary plus for this year’s edition of the U.S. roster is they’re returning seven players from last year. At forward, they’ll be led by Buffalo Sabres draft pick Casey Mittelstadt, who will get to skate before his home fans that were upcoming. Bettors should be aware that no team has won back-to-back gold.
CANADA (+160)
Normally, I’d be all over this selection from financing my brethren, but the history of choking in the minute deters me. The Canadian team dropped to the U.S. squad this past year at a shootout after holding two separate two-goal leads. Where the Canadians will be stacked is about the blue line as most of their defensemen were drafted in the top 15 in recent NHL drafts. While the Canucks have won this tourney 16 days, they haven’t won it since 2015 and in this respect, the juice probably is not worth the squeeze.
FINLAND (+650)
A value pick, Finland has won gold in two of the previous four tournaments and could be a sneaky choice for bettors trying to cash in on the“each year“ trend. The Finns are put in Group A with the Americans and will be put to make it from the group point. Their expected starting goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, is a Sabres draft pick along with the Buffalo audience will want to obtain a look at Robin Lehner’s potential replacement. Miro Heiskanen, the third overall pick in the 2017 draft, will also be back to the blue line for the Finns and their forward depth should carry them well with five returning forwards from last year’s squad.
RUSSIA (+650)
The last time the world championship was in Buffaloback in 2011, the Russians dominated and took home the gold. But this year’s group doesn’t have the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeni Kuznetsov and Artemi Panarin out there commanding. While this year’s version has lots of skilled forwards, it may be too much of an uphill battle to see the Russians repeat that accomplishment when they do not have generational talent hitting the ice. One of their defensemen has been drafted by an NHL team and most of their rearguards will come from the KHL. In +650, you would be better served to spend your Christmas money on Bitcoin.