2022 world juniors odds: Canada favored to win it all

The World Junior Championship is returning Tuesday after a COVID-19 outbreak caused the IIHF to postpone last year's tournament. Let's comb through the odds and examine each team's chances of taking home gold.

Canada rightfully enters this tournament as the healthy favorite to win gold. With high-end NHL prospects like Mason McTavish and Kent Johnson joined by a potential generational talent in Connor Bedard - not to mention a ton of elite junior scorers - Canada figures to score goals in bunches from start to finish.

The defense isn't loaded with name-brand prospects but, led by Olen Zellweger, there is more than enough talent to get the job done, especially with Sebastian Cossa in goal. There should be plenty of blowout victories en route to at least an appearance in the big game.

This USA team lacks firepower compared to what we've come to expect. Outside of 2022 third overall pick Logan Cooley, the Americans simply don't have many highly drafted prospects up front. There is plenty of speed and tenacity - and they'll overrun bottom-feeders - but they might lack that killer instinct to finish plays against top-end competition.

What the USA does have, though, is a solid blue line anchored by Luke Hughes. He should dominate at both ends of the ice and help make up for the lack of offensive talent.

Finland is always a tough out. The Finns are structured beyond their years; they stick to the system and don't give anybody a free pass. They're not going to score a ton of goals; they'll just grind out wins. Finland will be banking on players like Joakim Kemell, Brad Lambert, and Aatu Raty to make something out of nothing and come up with the big plays in high-pressure spots.

Not having Alexander Holtz or William Eklund at the tournament stings - they're preparing to push for an NHL job - but Sweden might still be Canada's biggest threat. This team has plenty of speed up front, led by a couple of dangerous finishers in Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Oskar Olausson. It boasts a dominant, minute-munching defenseman in Simon Edvinsson, and Jesper Wallstedt is arguably the most talented goaltender at this tournament. Sweden has what it takes to make a real push for gold.

Slovakia is on the rise. With the likes of Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec, Filip Mesar, and Co. moving through the ranks, the program figures to have plenty of solid NHLers representing it in international competition for years to come. Unfortunately, all of those guys will be sitting out here, which leaves Slovakia paper thin and without the high-end pieces to compensate. The team could cause an upset along the way, but it's unlikely to go very far.

Czechia is another team lacking in star power. Outside of David Jiricek, there aren't any impact prospects on the roster. The Czechs will rely on 20-year-old Jan Mysak and recently drafted wingers Jiri Kulich and Petr Hauser to provide them with some quick-strike offense and hang around in games they might not necessarily deserve to be in. Like Slovakia, I think their ceiling here is a preliminary-round upset.

Switzerland is Finland-lite in that it generally plays a structured, low-event system and consistently finds a way to remain in games you'd least expect it to. The Swiss only have two drafted players on this year's roster, though, which will severely hinder their ability to get points. They simply don't have the talent to muster up offense; they'll need to grind out games and depend on some lucky bounces to have any chance of making a little noise.

Germany has some interesting potential as a sleeper team. While it will struggle to score goals, it could make life difficult on opposing offenses as well. The Germans will ice a competent blue line with two NHL-drafted prospects on it, not to mention a drafted netminder in Nikita Quapp who has spent the past couple of seasons playing professional hockey in Germany. If he can find his footing quickly in this tournament, he might steal them a game or two.

Austria and Latvia don't figure to pose much threat. The former enters the tournament with zero drafted prospects, though the latter does have a few - most notably Dans Locmelis and Sandis Vilmanis. Latvia will still have a tough time generating offense let alone keeping the puck out.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.