Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Latvia U-20
The main game for Latvia will be played in the last round. Obviously, they will be the ones who will struggle to take the 4th position with Germany. A year ago, Latvia were the last in the group with the -10 goal difference. However, they won the relegation play-out against Austria. Sandis Vilmanis should perform better in the second game of the tournament. This is his third World Junior Championship. Vilmanis is drafted by the Florida Panthers and has been performing perfectly in the OHL.
Canada U-20
Canada has started to defend their title by beating Finland (5:2). Goaltenders were the most controversial part of the squad. Matthis Rousseau did well, though, making s couple of important saves in the beginning of the game. Now it’s time for Samuel St-Hilaire and Scott Ratzlaff to show what they can. Samuel doesn’t belong to any NHL team, while Scott has been going through a difficult process of changes with Seattle in the WHL (88.9% of saves with 3.39 safety coefficient).
Latvia U-20 – Canada U-20 prediction
Latvia suffered a defeat from Sweden (0:6), however the first three goals were conceded when Sweden were playing in power play. I doubt that Canada will punish Latvia for every second foul. Besides, Latvia had chances to score. For example, Rodzers Bukarts had a couple of good attempts in the first40 minutes.
Even a couple of goals conceded by Canada will mean that betting on a Latvian handicap can be an interesting choice.
