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Top players, teams to watch at 2026 World Junior Championship

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It's the most wonderful time of the year ... the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship has arrived.

The best players under 20, who are not in the NHL, will play in the annual holiday tournament beginning Friday through Jan. 5 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. It's a chance for draft-eligible players such as Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Juho Piiparinen to make an impression against their international peers, and for drafted prospects to show their development.