The junior world championship, interrupted 8 months ago in the same place due to covid, is being played again on Tuesday in Edmonton. Switzerland will play its first match on Wednesday against Sweden.
Last year, Switzerland started with a 4-2 defeat against the Russians, before continuing with a forfeit victory over the Americans. Three teams, including the United States, had been placed in quarantine and the tournament had been interrupted on December 29.
Today, Russians and Belarusians are excluded because of the war in Ukraine. Switzerland are in Group B with Sweden, USA, Germany and Austria. As usual, the top 4 qualify for the quarter-finals and there is no relegation. Normalization will be in a few months, once the lower division Worlds resume.
More than half (16 out of 25) of the Swiss team from 8 months ago is back in Alberta. But we find neither Lorenzo Canonica nor Louis Robin (injured in the shoulders) in attack. The leader’s costume will therefore be worn by Simon Knak. The Davos striker, drafted by Nashville, is the player with the most experience. Note the presence of 6 players from French-speaking Switzerland, including the defender of Biel, Noah Delémont.
ats/adav