The World Youth Hockey Championship starts on December 26, 2019. The upcoming championship among youth teams will be the 44th in history. This time the best national teams in the world will host two Czech cities - Ostrava and Třinec. The opening match of the tournament is scheduled for December 26, 2019, and the final match will take place on January 5, 2020.

Venue and schedule of MFM-2020

The world championship among youth teams at the turn of 2019 and 2020 will be hosted by two Czech cities - Ostrava and Třinec. The main arena of the tournament will be the Ostravar Arena, which has a capacity of 10,004 spectators. It will host all the games of Group B, where the host team of the Czech Republic will play, two quarter-final matches, both semi-finals, a match for third place and the final. In Třinec, guests of the 2020 World Cup will be hosted by the Werk Arena, where the turnout can reach 5,200 fans.

The group stage matches will be played from December 26 to December 31, 2019, all quarter-finals will be played on January 2, the semi-finals on January 4, and the match for third place and the main final of the championship will take place on January 5, 2020.

Regulations and format of the MFM-2020

IN last years The regulations of the World Youth Championship are not undergoing major changes. The tournament is attended by the ten strongest world teams, which are divided into two groups of five teams. In a round-robin system, everyone plays one match against each other. The main task at this stage is not to take last place, since the other four teams qualify for the playoffs, and the worst teams in their groups play a consolation round, where the losing team leaves the strongest division. It is worth paying attention: if two teams score the same number of points, the winner of their head-to-head meeting is higher, but if more than two teams have identical indicators, then the difference in goals scored and goals conceded is compared.

The system for forming quarterfinal pairs is also classic:

• 1st place of group “A” – 4th place of group “B”;
• 2nd place of group “A” – 3rd place of group “B”;
• 3rd place in group “A” – 2nd place in group “B”;
• 4th place in group “A” – 1st place in group “B”.

The winners of the quarterfinal pairs move to Ostrava in unison, where they will have to fight in the ½ finals, and the losers finish their performance in the tournament. Based on the results of the semi-finals, two pairs are formed: one will play in the bronze final, and the other will fight in the main final of the MFM 2020.

Participants of the MFM-2020

Ten of the strongest youth teams will take part in the upcoming world forum. The Czech national team received the right to play at the 2020 World Cup as the host country of the tournament; The USA, Canada, Russia, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia and Kazakhstan retained their place in the elite division following the results of the 2019 World Cup; The German team won the first division last year and received a promotion.

Winners of the World Youth Hockey Championships

The upcoming youth world championship will be the 44th in history. Over the previous 43 tournaments, the Canadian team won the most gold medals, with 17 victories already, but last year they were embarrassed at the home world championship, dropping out in the quarter finals. The next team with the most titles is the Russian team, which finished third the year before. For the current world champion Finnish team, this was the fifth gold in history. The full list of gold medalists is presented below:

• Canada – 17 times;
• Russia + CIS + USSR – 13;
• Finland – 5;
• USA – 4;
• Sweden and the Czech Republic – 2;

Bets and forecasts for the group stage of the 2020 World Cup in the Czech Republic

Group “A”: Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia, Kazakhstan.

The current world champion Finnish team, which is now the main favorite of Group A, will play here. This is evidenced by the quotes of the bookmaker Betcity, which offer odds of 2.00 that it will be the representatives of Suomi who will take the top line at the end of the round-robin tournament. The second favorite is the Swedish national team: last year Tre Kronur won their group, but now they believe in them a little less, offering a coefficient of 2.10 for their victory in the group.

The middle peasants of Group “A” are the teams of Slovakia and Switzerland. Last year they competed in different groups: the Swiss were able to score 4 points, and the Slovaks were content with 3 points. However, now it is the “crusaders” who are seen as the favorites in the battle for third place in the standings. BC "Betcity" offers odds of 2.00 for this outcome, and "Knights of Tatra" is valued at odds of 2.50.

The main outsider of the group seems to be the Kazakhstan team, which a year earlier did not score a single point, but sensationally beat Denmark in the consolation round and remained in the strongest division. The status of the weakest team does not mean that the Kazakhs do not need to be watched. BC "Betcity" offers interesting options for their performance in the tournament: for example, on a total of more than 0.5 points for the Kazakhstan national team, you can bet with odds of 2.95, and on a total of more than 24.5 goals conceded, odds of 1.85 are offered.

Group “B”: USA, Russia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany

Group B is truly the group of death this year. The national teams of the USA, Russia, Canada and the host of the tournament, the Czech Republic, can rightfully claim any of the top four places, and the main outsider is Germany, which only this season joined the strongest division. Of course, the Germans are unlikely to talk about reaching the quarterfinals, but they are quite capable of clinging to the points. BC "Betcity" offers odds of 2.55 for a total of more than 0.5 points for the German national team. Any other national team has a chance to compete for first place in the group, but the quotes consider the Canadians to be the favorites:

• Canada – 2.00;
• Russia – 3.50;
• USA – 4.00;
• Czech Republic – 11.00.

Chances of the Russian national hockey team at the 2020 World Cup

Last year, the Russian team managed to reach the bronze medals, but the quality of play of Oleg Bragin’s players became more and more modest every year, especially in status games, where the Russians regularly pressed themselves against their goal, acting as passively as possible. This is largely why, on the eve of the upcoming world forum, changes took place in the national team's coaching staff: Yuri Babenko finished his job, and Igor Larionov was called in his place, whose powers will include improving the team's attacking actions.

Fortunately, now the lineup is one of the strongest in terms of names in recent years. All three goalies have already gained experience playing in the KHL. Defenders Romanov, Zhuravlev, Misyul, Galenyuk and Pylenkov are the main players of their clubs. Forward Grigory Denisenko is the best scorer of the 2019 World Cup, many other forwards also have a stable place in their teams. A serious loss for the team is Nikita Rozhkov, who looked great at the Four Nations tournament, but a broken leg will not allow him to play in the tournament. However, now the Russians have every chance to fight for gold at the 2020 World Cup, and Betcity Bookmaker offers odds of 4.00 for this outcome.

Eronko: In my memory, this is the smoothest tournament in many years. There are a lot of real contenders for gold, even if the Canadians are considered the favorites. I don’t remember that all six top teams - Russia, USA, Sweden, Canada, Finland and the Czech Republic - were candidates for the championship. Whom will I put above others? Russia and the USA. Why are the Americans a very well-trained team that relies on technology? It's a pity that Jack Hughes is only 17 - if he were older, things would be tough for everyone.

Zislis: - The Canadians have a slightly higher chance, they are playing at home. But I believe in our team, we finally have a good squad, and unlike last year, we have the strength to aim for gold.

How will the Russian team perform at the World Championships?

Eronko: Considering the system of Valery Bragin’s play, anything can really happen - from gold to the quarterfinals. In terms of talent, this team is great, but what will happen to the majority, the structure of the game? If, as before, the main principle is “third from behind,” then nothing good can happen. If, as Bragin promised, he plays more aggressively, perhaps we’ll take the gold.

Zislis: I’ll be careful - she’ll reach the finals, and then it’s up to the cards. I see our team winning medals one hundred percent. Anything lower will be a failed result.

Who is the main contender for the title? MVP MFM?

Eronko: Quite a lot of people can be named. The Swedes have defender Erik Brannström, while everyone in the defensive line can light things up, and forward Emil Bemström, who is already fine at the level of the adult Swedish league. The Finns are sure that Eli Tolvanen will shine, as well as Henri Jokiharju. For Canadians, Morgan Frost and Maxime Comtois come to mind. For our team, this is Vitaly Kravtsov - in fact, the game of the Russian team will be given to him. He is a wonderful dispatcher, he has excellent edges in Grigory Denisenko and Klim Kostin, who can score points with his passes. The Czechs have either Martin Necas or Filip Zadina, who played very well last year and showed our team what the Czech majority is like. Well, and the USA - Jack's older brother Quinn Hughes, a defender who spends a lot of time in attack, and Oliver Wahlström - an amazing sniper with a cool shot.

Zislis: I’ll name Klim Kostin. This is his second World Cup, and he had a great last year, although the team played poorly. Now he is a year older and ready to give a cooler performance.

Valery Bragin. Photo by Daria Isaeva, "SE"

The composition of the Russian national team: optimal or not?

Eronko: At the moment, no, since Alexander Khovanov has not yet been announced, and Ivan Chekhovich will not be there - either because of an injury, or because of something else. Also, Dmitry Zavgorodniy deserved at least a chance to play in the test matches. I still don’t understand why Mark Rubinchik is in the lineup and not Evgeny Kalabushkin or Savely Olshansky.

Zislis: Now we can argue that this, the second one, does not exist, but I cannot say that there is no person who should absolutely exist. Of course, it would be nice to see Chekhovich, who is playing great in the junior league. Otherwise, I don’t see any controversial or questionable decisions.

Who will be the MFM surprise?

Eronko: I’ll single out the Czechs. That year they brought more than a dozen hockey players under 19 years old - and all of them will play again at the MFM. If they had also released Filip Hytil from the Rangers, they could have created two cool teams. Even without him, with goalkeeper Jakub Skarek and a strong majority, a lot can be achieved.

Zislis: I see no reason for surprises. The pool of teams vying for medals does not change. Sometimes the Slovak team can shoot, but not this time. The Czechs could surprise, but I don’t believe in them - the other top teams are stronger. The general viewer may be surprised by the Finnish team; there are several serious guys there who can aim for gold.

Final Canada - Finland and Russia without medals? Forecast for the 2018 World Cup

Lev Lukin does not believe in the Russian youth team. Throw tomatoes at it.

Belarus

The youth team of Belarus, after a year-long absence from the MFM elite, returned to the cohort of the strongest U20 teams. Yuri Faykov's team was in a group with teams from Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and the main task of the Belarusians at the tournament will be to maintain their registration in the elite division. Hockey in Belarus in Lately not worried better times, the adult team is looking for reinforcement options in the form of naturalized foreign players, which suggests that talented Belarusian hockey players appear in very limited quantities.

Therefore, it is doubly difficult for the youth team to compete on equal terms with their rivals, who try out future stars at such tournaments.

Forecast: Belarus will compete in the group with the Czechs and Swiss for reaching the playoffs, but, most likely, Faykov’s team will have the last place in its top five and a consolation round, following which the Belarusians will again find themselves in the first division of youth hockey.

Slovakia

But predicting who will become a potential opponent for Belarus in the consolation round seems to be a very difficult task. It is obvious that the national teams of the USA, Canada and Finland are unlikely to allow such a failure, although the same Finns a year ago were just fighting for the right to remain in the elite. But it is difficult to imagine that for the second year in a row the Suomi team will be left without the MFM playoffs, which means that the Danes and Slovaks will compete for the last vacancy in the relegation games in Group A.

Recently, the level of these teams has become equal; the Slovaks have not been among the strongest for a long time national teams, and the Danes, on the contrary, have more and more talented players. Last year, Slovakia was only ahead of completely hopeless Latvia in its group, and the Danes, in turn, created a sensation by taking second place in their top five.

Forecast: over the year the situation in youth Slovak hockey has not changed dramatically in better side, Ernest Bokrosh’s team will play in the consolation round and there they will retain the right to play at the 2019 MFM.

Denmark

Yes, the Danes should make it to the playoffs, but it would be very naive to hope for last year’s success of Olaf Eller’s team. In the Scandinavian group, the Canadians and Americans are traditionally strong at the youth level, the Finns are angry after last year’s failure, and again taking second place in such a company is unrealistic.

Forecast: the main task of the Danes will be to show decent hockey in the match with the favorites, as well as win the main match in the group stage against the Slovaks. It seems that the Danish national team will cope with this task and will advance to the playoffs, where they will lose first place in Group B in the fight.

Switzerland

The Swiss team acts as a dark horse at every tournament, and the MFM in Buffalo is no exception. It is unlikely that Christian Wohlwend's team will compete for leadership in Group B with the Swedes and Russians, although such a scenario would not be surprising, because there is always a sensation at the World Youth Championships. It is also difficult to imagine the Swiss national team fighting for the playoffs when it has the Belarusian national team in the group. Before the tournament, the most likely scenario is that the Swiss will play the Czech team for third or fourth place in their top five.

This is exactly what happened at last year’s tournament, when these teams were separated by only one point, despite the fact that face-to-face meeting The Swiss were stronger. They could have caused a sensation in the playoffs, but the US team, in a bitter struggle, still beat the team from the country of banks and cheeses.

Forecast: at the 2017 World Cup, Switzerland had Nico Hischier, the future number one of the draft, and now the national team will have to do without him. Therefore, we predict Wohlwend’s team to take fourth place in the group and be eliminated in the quarterfinals.

10 bright young players who will miss the MFM for various reasons

The club's busy schedule, high competition, and injuries will prevent these talents from playing in Buffalo.

Czech

Before Buffalo, the Czech national team looks like the weakest team of the big six, and at the upcoming tournament, Philip Pechan's charges will have to work hard to destroy these ideas. 13 years youth hockey The Czech Republic has not seen medals at world championships, which also affects the results of the adult team, which has not looked like a favorite at major international tournaments for a long time.

Of course, at the future youth forum the Czechs will make it to the playoffs, but it will be possible to count on more only under a miraculous combination of circumstances. In the group, Pechan’s team looks objectively weaker than both Russia and Sweden; the Czechs will have to fight with Switzerland for third or fourth place, although both positions most likely lead to the playoffs against the US or Canadian teams.

Forecast: in this situation, the Czechs need to try to take a higher place in the group, but we predict that they will not be able to jump above their heads, from third place in the group they will advance to the quarterfinals, the match in which will be the last for the Czechs in the tournament.

The Czechs will have to fight with Switzerland for third or fourth place, although both positions will most likely lead to the US or Canadian teams in the playoffs.

Russia

The Russian national team is going to Buffalo with wonderful memories, but it will be incredibly difficult for Valery Bragin and his team to repeat the success of seven years ago. The Russian youth team currently does not have hockey players of the caliber of Tarasenko, Panarin and Kuznetsov, and the potential first pick of next year’s NHL draft Andrei Svechnikov is still too young.

Of course, we believe in the talent of Bragin and our guys, there is no doubt that Russia will make it to the playoffs and is unlikely to finish lower than second. But any position other than the first one will most likely lead our team to Canada, the USA or Finland, and in matches against these opponents Russia will not be a favorite.

Bragin chose new Buffalo heroes. Without Kravtsov, but with Svechnikov

The head coach of the youth team announced the squad for the World Cup.

Forecast: The Russian team almost always takes a long time to swing at the youth world championships, and therefore rarely wins the group. It seems that the tournament in Buffalo will not be an exception, the Russians will take second place, and already in the quarterfinals Bragin’s charges will be faced with insurmountable problems. But let's not forget that our best game The “youth team” under Bragin shows itself precisely when few people believe in it.

Russia will make it to the playoffs and is unlikely to finish lower than second. But any position other than the first one will most likely lead our team to Canada, the USA or Finland, and in matches against these opponents Russia will not be a favorite.

USA

At the last tournament, which took place on Canadian soil, the US team, led by Bob Motsko, won all the matches and won the 2017 World Cup gold. From that lineup, the Americans will not be helped by Clayton Keller, who shines in Arizona, but many other hockey players, as well as the coach, will defend the title in Buffalo.

Game on home ice will certainly cause a special mood among American talents, and in matches with competitors for leadership in the group, the US team may burn out, and the title of reigning world champions is a very difficult burden. Therefore, we predict the young Stars and Stripes only third place in the group after Finland and Canada, but an interesting continuation in the playoffs.

Forecast: in the elimination games, the Americans will probably be in the medal zone, there is a high probability of participating in the finals, but we will not see a second successive triumph of American youth hockey.

Sweden

The Swedes are bringing a decent squad to Buffalo and are the main candidates for victory in their group. The Czechs, Swiss and Belarusians will solve their problems, the Russians do not have a sufficient margin of safety to win the group, which means the Scandinavian team has every chance of success in the first stage.

First place in the top five B almost certainly puts Sweden in the playoffs against Denmark or Slovakia, which in turn almost guarantees the Scandinavians a semi-final.

Forecast: a year ago, Thomas Monten’s team lost at this very stage, and then lost to the Russians in the bronze medal match. Now the scenario risks repeating itself, only the opponent in the consolation final will most likely be different.

Finland

Last year's tournament ended in complete failure for the Finns, who started it as the current world champions. The Suomi team took last place in the group and fought with the Latvian team for the right to remain in the elite division.

The Finns probably remembered this slap in the face, and in Buffalo we are expecting revenge from them. It is unlikely that Jussi Ahokas' team is capable of winning the group against the powerful and always playful Canadians, but we give second place in the top five to Finland. Many experts and hockey specialists are betting on this team; the Finns have a number of brilliant talents, such as Tolvanen, Heiskanen or the WHL's top scorer Heponiemi.

Forecast: the Finns will probably go far in the playoffs; we predict the Suomi team will have the final of the tournament, where they will try not to lose to Canada for the second time in the tournament.

Canada

The head coach of the Canadian national team, Dominique Ducharme, is once again taking a team made up of powerful, scoring and skilled hockey players to the youth championship. It’s not without reason that the Canadians are considered the main favorites of this tournament every year: each junior league in this country can easily provide the youth coach with more than one roster for the national team, and before Buffalo, Ducharme was once again blindsided by the rich choice.

There is virtually no doubt that the Canadians will perform strongly in the group stage and, most likely, will take first place there. It will be difficult to stop Canada even before the final.

A year ago in Montreal, the founders of hockey lost the decisive match to the US team in a shootout. Now on American ice The Canadians will probably want to make up for both that defeat and the missed victory on the ice in Buffalo in 2011.

Forecast: a year ago in Montreal, the founders of hockey lost the decisive match of the US team in shootouts. Now on American ice, the Canadians will probably want to make up for both that defeat and for the missed victory on Buffalo ice in 2011. It’s just that we see Ducharme’s team’s opponents not as the USA or Russia, but as the Finnish team.

According to established tradition, the World Youth Hockey Championship will take place at the junction of the old and new years. Canada and its two arenas have been chosen as the venue for the 43rd tournament: Rogers Arena in Vancouver and Save-on-Foods Memorial Center in Victoria. The Russian team will compete in Group A, where it will play with the teams of Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland. To qualify for the playoffs, it is enough not to take last place in the group. However, according to some experts and bookmakers, the ambitions of the Russian national team can lead to the MFM final for the first time in the last two years.

In Group A, the favorite is Canada, followed by Russia.

In Group A, where the Russian youth hockey team was drawn by lot, there is a clear bookmaker favorite - the Canadian team. Young " Maple leaves"will play at home arenas; they are the current world champions and have previously won the youth championships more than anyone else - 17 times. Therefore, we are not surprised to accept the quotes for the victory of the Canadians in the group.

• Canada - winner of Group A - in BC "Liga Stavok"

Bookmakers assign the Russian national team the role of second favorite, but the odds for victory in Group A are too high. Valery Bragin, Main coach Russian youth team, assessed the composition of the team and spoke optimistically about its prospects for the MFM:

“We very carefully analyzed the results of each of the tournaments held during the season and chose these hockey players. Yes, injuries or other reasons got in the way, but we have the power to compete for the highest places.”

Of course, it will be incredibly difficult to beat the Canadian team in Group A, but taking a place right after the founders of hockey is quite possible.

• Russia will take second place in Group A - in BC “1xBet”

Expert forecast: Russia and Canada will play in the MFM final

Well-known Canadian expert Craig Button predicted on his Twitter that the national teams of Canada and Russia will meet in the final of the youth world championship. Judging by the grid, this is indeed possible.

• Finalists of the MFM Hockey Championship - Canada and Russia - in BC "1xBet"

The Russian national team has 4 gold medals at the World Youth Hockey Championships. The last success dates back to 2011. An interesting historical parallel: at that time the World Cup was also held in North America (Buffalo), and in the final the Russian team beat the Canadian team, with whom experts predict we will meet in decisive match and at the 2019 World Cup.

• Russia - winner of the MFM Hockey Championship - 2019 - in BC Winline

Other tournament favorites include the USA, Finland and Sweden

Group B of the youth hockey championship brought together a noticeably stronger group of teams. Three representatives of the quintet are among the top five favorites of the entire tournament. Of course, the US team is on the main line - the Americans' exit from the group in first place is quoted at the smallest odds.

American hockey players at the youth level have 4 gold medals in their history. The last time the US team won the World Youth Championship was not so long ago - in 2017.

• USA will win group B - in BC "League of Stavoks"

The Finnish national team also has 4 gold sets of awards taken at the youth hockey championships of the planet. At the same time, Suomi won two of its victories in 2014 and 2016 - also relatively recently.

Finland, according to bookmakers, has the same chance of second place in Group B along with the Swedish national team. The bookmaker "" is ready to give in both directions that Finland or Sweden will take second place in the group.

Sweden has only two sets of top awards after the World Youth Championships. But the Trekrunas have their own special figure: 11 times Sweden came second at the World Cup, and this is more than any other team.

• Sweden will take second place at the 2019 World Cup - in BC "1xBet"

Who should you watch especially closely at the 2019 World Youth Championships?

Of course, at the world youth hockey championship we will be primarily interested in Russian players. Two-time winner of the Gagarin Cup Alexey Badyukov highlighted several names in his story about the composition of the Russian national team:

“I think the leaders of our team will be Kravtsov, Kostin and Kovalenko. Kravtsov can become the top of this tournament if he performs as well as he can in the center. Kostin is a seasoned hockey player, this year he is ready to be a leader.”

Bookmakers have their own view on the future heroes of the Russian national team. Among the possible top scorers of the tournament, BC "" included two Russians with the same score: Vitaly Kravtsov and Grigory Denisenko.

When and where does the Russian youth team start?

The Youth Hockey World Championship will begin on the night of December 26-27. The tournament will open at 00:00 Moscow time with the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

The Russian national team will play all matches of the group stage in Vancouver, at the Rogers Arena. The Russian team will play the first match at the MFM against the Danish national team on the night of December 27-28, the meeting will also begin at midnight Moscow time.

In the future, Russia may move to Victoria for one quarterfinal game, but will return to Vancouver for the semifinals and finals.

Tonight it will start in Canada world youth hockey championship. This tournament always attracts a lot of attention from betting players. We have prepared a small announcement that may help bettors.

General information about the tournament

All matches of the Youth World Championship (43rd in a row) will be held at two ice arenas: Save-on-Foods Memorial Center (Victoria) and Rogers (Vancouver). The composition of the groups looks like this:

• Group "A": Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Russia and Switzerland
• Group "B": Finland, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Sweden, USA

Four teams from each group advance to the playoffs, so to continue the fight it’s enough just not to finish last.

Our analysts are already making their predictions for the opening match: Czech Republic - Switzerland.

Bets on the winner of the World Youth Championship

The record holders for the number of victories at the MFM are Canadians, who have won the tournament 17 times. They are still the current champions. The teams of Russia, Finland and the USA have 4 victories each. The tournament was won twice by the Swedes and the Czechs.

What other betting options are worth considering?

- Canada will win their group – 1.25 (Betting League)

There is nothing special to add to the above. The hosts are favorites and should not experience any problems at least until the semi-finals.

- USA will win their group – 2.00 (Betting League)

The Americans brought very strong players to the tournament. They are able to show stable play in the first stage and go through the group distance without defeat.

- Russia and Canada will play in the final – 3.50 (1xBet)

In the 2011 final, which we have already mentioned, the Russians defeated the Canadians. Many hockey experts are in favor of such a final. Why not?

- Sweden will take second place in the tournament – 5.00 (1xBet)

Just take note of an interesting fact. The Swedish national team has taken second place at the World Youth Championship 11 times in its history - this is an absolute record.