With the preliminary round over, the real games will begin. The World Juniors have reached the playoff round where the games matter more. It's win and have a chance for gold, or settle for a silver or bronze.
The Flyers, who started with five prospects at the World Juniors, will have three with a chance to win a medal. It's been a crazy tournament thus far with more than a few upsets and surprise teams. The medal rounds have already begun as Sweden is currently taking on Latvia. Jack Berglund, the Flyers' second-round pick, was injured in the final preliminary-round game and will miss the rest of the tournament.
The United States will follow that up against Switzerland. But for those interested in watching the Flyers' prospects, that begins when Finland and Slovakia play at 5:00 EST. Following that game, Canada will take on Czechia at 7:30 EST.
Three Flyers prospects with a chance to medal at the WJC
Heikki Ruohonen has played rather well in his second World Juniors for Finland. Through four games, Ruohonen has one point. Finland captured the second spot in Group A. They were first on the penalty kill and had the best save percentage during the preliminary round. After losing their first game, they went on to win the next three. Slovakia, their opponent, won two of their four games.
Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko have had their fair share of moments during the tournament. Bonk has posted one goal and two points, while Luchanko has one goal. Luchanko's goal came shorthanded after stealing the puck and putting a nice move on the Latvian goaltender. Bonk's goal came in very familiar territory on the power play.
Carson Bjarnason, who made Canada's roster out of camp, has not been registered for the tournament. He was expected to vie for the starting job after a strong Summer Showcase. But the duo of Carter George and Jack Ivankovic has kept him out.
Canada has struggled to score, posting 10 goals during the preliminary round. That was their second-fewest ever at the WJC. They finished third behind the United States and Finland. Their opponent, Czechia, finished second in Group B and scored more than double that of Canada.
The winners of each of those games will play in the semi-final round on Jan. 4. A chance for gold could be available to them the following evening. If not, they'll play for bronze. We'll see if any of the Flyers' prospects end their World Juniors with a medal.