The semifinals of the 2024 World Junior Championship were determined on Tuesday after the quarterfinals concluded. In the first semi-final, Sweden will look to avenge their 2-1 overtime loss as they take on Czechia.
Sweden has been the more consistently dominant team at this year’s World Junior, but its opponent, Czechia, also found ways to win and is improving with each game.
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Sweden has hosted the World Juniors six previous times but has managed to win a medal in three of those tournaments, including two silver (1993, 2014) and one bronze (1979). That said, Sweden is eyeing to change the narrative this year behind an incredible group of players.
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Canada vs Czechia World Juniors Semifinals Preview:
Czechia:
Czechia defeated Canada 3-2 in the quarterfinal round to advance to the semifinal for the second straight year. Czechia has outscored opponents 31-4 in their four victories at the 2024 World Juniors Championship. They meet Sweden in the semifinal, a team against whom they suffered their only defeat in this tournament.
After avenging their gold medal loss from last year, Team Czechia is in the position to play the World Junior final. Yes, it won’t be easy for them in any way, but the players have shown their capabilities as the tournament went on. They’re a resilient group that plays hard from start to finish in every matchup.
Czechia’s offense has been the main reason behind their great run in this tournament. The Czech side has scored the second most goals in the game, two less than Canada. Five Czechia players have registered at least seven points, with no team having more than three such players.
Captain Kulich has eight points (four goals) in five games. Matyas Melovsky (2024 NHL Draft eligible) has seven points (seven assists), Sale has five points (three goals and two assists), and defenseman Tomas Hamara has four points (three goals).
Captain Jiri Kulich has been the best performer for Czechia in this tournament. He leads the team in scoring en route to becoming the all-time leading scorer for Czechia at the World Junior Championship.
If he manages to help Czechia to a gold medal, he will solidify himself as the best Czech player to ever play at the World Junior Championships.
Czechia has received six points this World Junior Championship from Columbus Blue Jackets’ sixth overall pick, David Jiricek, a defenseman with only NHL experience on the roster.
Goalie Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes) has started all four games for Czechia, winning three with a 2.75 GAA and .897 save percentage.
Sweden:
Host Sweden survived a scare in the quarterfinal and beat Switzerland 3-2 overtime. Like Czechia, Sweden has also suffered only one defeat (against Canada) in this tournament.
This Swede team has no NHL experience but has six first-round draft picks in the NHL on the squad, with forward Carlsson projected to go in the top five in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Offensively, almost every Swede player is having a great run this tournament. Noah Ostlund has seven points (five assists), Felix Unger Sorum (six points, five assists), and Otto Stenberg has seven points (four goals). Sweden has the top-ranked power play (42 percent; 8-for-19) and penalty kill (90 percent; 9-for-10) of the 2024 championship.
Sweden doesn’t just have an explosive offense; they have a remarkable defense as well, which includes Sandin Pellikka (one goal, two assists), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), Theo Lindstein (six points), Tom Willander (Canucks) and Mattias Havelid (five points).
It’s worth mentioning that Lindstein is leading the tournament in scoring amongst defensemen after coming as an injury replacement.
Goalie Hugo Havelid, Mattias’ twin brother, has three wins with a 0.65 GAA, a .966 save percentage, and two shutouts in three games. He has been an absolute stud in the net. The undersized netminder made several notable saves late in the game against Switzerland when the Swiss team tried to push back the Swedes.