In four days the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships begin, with the Czech Republic opening the tournament against Russia at 12PM EST at the KeyBank Centre in Buffalo, New York.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have three prospects at the tournament: 2017 1st round pick Timothy Liljegren will be playing for Sweden, 2017 2nd round pick Eemeli Räsänen will be playing for Finland, and 2016 2nd round pick Joseph Woll will be playing for the United States.

Timothy Liljegren

Liljegren has been playing defense with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League this season. In 17 games he’s scored one goal and added eight assists for nine points.

Previously for Sweden he played in the 2016 Under 17 ad Under 18 World Championships, winning bronze and silver medals respectively.

2017 Top 25 Under 25: #7 Timothy Liljegren
PPP talks to Timothy Liljegren at Sweden’s World Junior Championships camp

Eemeli Räsänen

Räsänen is playing defense this season with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. In 28 games he has three goals and 19 assists for 22 points. He’s been a powerful presence on Kingston’s blue line, playing a big physical game and chipping in on offense when he can.

Previously for Finland he played in the 2017 U18 World Championships, the 2016 U17, and 2015 U16, winning a silver medal last year in the U18’s.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect report: Eemeli Rasanen is pretty fun to watch
2017 Top 25 Under 25 #23: Eemeli Rasanen

Joseph Woll

Joseph Woll is the starting goaltender for Boston College in the Hockey East conference of the NCAA. He’s played 15 games, has a 2.90GAA, and an .858sv%.

Previously for the USA he played in the 2017 World Juniors, 2016 U18, and 2015 U17. He won gold in 2017, bronze in 2016, and silver in 2015.

2017 Top 25 Under 25: #25 Joseph Woll

Schedule

Below you can find the schedules for the Leafs prospects. Times listed are for the preliminary games, as the playoff game times depend on where the USA finishes after the round robin.

Maple Leafs WJC Schedule

DateHomeAwayTime (EST)VenueCanada - TSNUSA - NHL Network
Dec. 26th, 2017BelarusSweden2:00 PMHarbour CentreTSN GO8AM - Dec 27
Dec. 26th, 2017CanadaFinland4:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSNLive
Dec. 26th, 2017DenmarkUSA8:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSNLive
Dec. 28th, 2017FinlandDenmark12:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSN 1/4Live
Dec. 28th, 2017SwedenCzech Republic4:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSN 1/4Live
Dec. 28th, 2017USASlovakia8:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSN 1/4/5Live
Dec. 29th, 2017CanadaUSA3:00 PMNew Era FieldTSNLive
Dec. 30th, 2017SwedenSwitzerland2:00 PMHarbour CentreTSN 57AM - Dec 31
Dec. 30th, 2017FinlandSlovakia4:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSN 1/4/5Live
Dec. 31st, 2017USAFinland4:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSN 1/3Live
Dec. 31st, 2017RussiaSweden8:00 PMKeyBank CentreTSN 1/3Live

Some games may be streamed on IIHF YouTube channel outside North America, but no confirmation yet.

Group A

Country2017 Finish
United StatesGold
CanadaSilver
Denmark5th
Slovakia8th
Finland9th

Group B

Country2017 Finish
RussiaBronze
Sweden4th
Czech Republic6th
Switzerland7th
BelarusPromoted from Div 1A

It’s a pretty wide open tournament this year, with the Swedes being picked as the best team the most so far. With Willie winning Men’s gold in May, it wouldn’t be too bad to see Timmy finally get some junior gold.

He has one hell of a celebration to live up to...

IIHF World Championships