Welcome once again to Last Word On Hockey’s edition of the World Junior Hockey Championship predictions. Throughout the tournament our team will break down key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make a prediction on how the game will play out. You can also check out the NHL side of our predictions. For this edition, we’ll dive into Team Canada’s second game against Latvia.

World Junior Championship Predictions: Canada vs Latvia

Overall Head-to-Head: Canada 4 – 1 Latvia

How to Watch: USA TV: NHL Network
Canada: TSN

Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Venue: 3M Arena at Minneapolis, Minnesota

Canada will be looking for a little revenge once again after suffering one of the most unexpected upsets in World Junior history to this same country last year. A 3-2 shootout loss to Latvia in the group stage that was the beginning of quite the shift in Hockey Canada’s thinking around the Program of Excellence. One move was in naming Alan Millar as full time general manager for all junior national teams. Needless to say, this year’s team was selected with the bigger picture in mind.

Canada opened the tournament yesterday with a nail-biting, 7-5 win over Czechia. Carter George was in net and we are expecting to see Jack Ivankovic in net for this back-to-back. This will be Latvia’s opening game of the tournament. We are expecting to see Mikus Vecvanags, a Montreal Canadiens fifth-round pick in 2024, start the tournament. However, we will add our disclaimer to please check social media for the very latest lineup news before possibly selecting players for specific game prop bets perhaps.

The Latvian Perspective

Last year’s stunner was an incredible achievement for one of the smallest countries in the tournament. In contrast, their success was more a case of Canada’s roster discordance and an incredible performance from Linards Feldburgs in the shootout. However, the majority of players that were on that Latvian team are returning for this tournament, with the exception of the aforementioned Feldburgs. With nine forwards, and five defenders who know the feeling of beating Canada are back to try it again. Among the Latvian side is a towering player from Shattuck St. Mary’s program, 6’6″ forward Roberts Naudins. He’s also the youngest player on the Latvian team at 17 years old. He’s not eligible to be drafted until 2027, but he’s already NHL sized at 205 pounds. He’ll be one to watch in the tournament to see how he plays.

The Canadian Side

Canada is bringing one of it’s strongest groups to the event in years, and unlike in years past, essentially named their roster when camp invites were sent out. Among those is the snub last year of Zayne Parekh of the Calgary Flames, who at the junior level has done something only one other has in the OHL. That was, scoring 30-plus goals as a defenceman in multiple seasons. By the way, the other player to do so, was Bobby Orr. On que, Parekh showed he belongs on the roster with two massive goals in Canada’s first revenge game of the tournament.

In goal, Jack Ivankovic is looking to rewrite a little history after he was the goaltender of record in the loss to Latvia last year.

The Prediction

Canada wants nothing more than to beat the bricks out of Latvia after the upset. Canada will have to play the Canadian way, force Latvia to take penalties and let the powerplay go to work. If they’re able to do just that, it could be a long day for Latvia.

Prediction: Canada 6 – Latvia 0

Main Photo Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images

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