The annual World Junior Championship (WJC) — despite a bumpy road along the way — is nearly here. While enduring the hardships put in place by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has restructured the 2021 WJC to take place in a single-venue bubble in Edmonton, eliminating the second host city, Red Deer.
The IIHF also canceled all lower-division U20 level championships, meaning no team will be relegated from the WJC for 2022. While taking necessary precautions, the IIHF has hit its fair share of snags: Team Canada shut down their selection camp for two weeks due to two positive tests, Sweden’s coaching staff and several players were removed from their roster due to positive tests, two American players — John Beecher and Thomas Bordeleau — were sent home due to the virus, and several of the European teams were stuck overseas pre-flight due to limited luggage capacity.