The reigning two-time champions are in the building.
Canada’s quest for an elusive three-peat at the World Junior Hockey Championship kicks off Tuesday against Finland — a rematch of the 2022 Gold Medal Final the Canadians won in overtime.
That’s part of the reason the hockey odds have them as -275 favorites. But the Fins are no slouch, as they hold the fourth-best odds to take home the trophy.
Read below for my preview and my free betting picks for the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Canada vs Finland odds
| Canada | Finland | |
|---|---|---|
| -275 | Moneyline | +195 |
| -120 | Win in regulation | +225 |
| +340 | Tie | +340 |
| Over 5.5 (-110) | Total | Under 5.5 (-110) |
Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction as of December 25, 2023.
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Canada vs Finland picks and predictions
You’ve got to be pretty good to have the second-best odds at a tournament where you only have a single returning player from the previous year’s title team. That’s where the Canadians find themselves, with +250 odds to three-peat and forward Owen Beck — a prospect in the Montreal Canadiens pipeline — the lone returnee.
Canada’s talent tree runs deep, though, and this year is no exception, with forward Macklin Celebrini expected to contribute quickly, despite being the youngest player on the roster. The 17-year-old, projected as the top pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft, is fourth in the NCAA with 10 goals and 15 assists in 15 games with Boston College.
He’ll be flanked by forward Matthew Poitras, who’s been up with the Boston Bruins all year but is on loan for the annual holiday event.
Those are two of nine first-round picks from across the 2022 and 2023 NHL drafts dressing for the Canadian squad.
If there’s a team that won’t be phased by taking on the Canadians in the opening game, it’s the Fins, who have run the gamut of WJHC highs and lows in the past five years.
They own a title from 2019, plus that bitter defeat in 2022 in the championship final. They also captured a bronze medal in 2021 after losing that same game in 2020. They’re trying to bounce back from their most disappointing result in five tourneys when they failed to climb out of the quarterfinals a year ago, losing to Sweden 3-2.
Unlike Canada, where there’s a crush of able players to dot the roster, the Fins don’t have that powerful a pipeline, and so any significant absentees will sting.
Forward Joakim Kemell, a Nashville Predators product, is staying with their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. They’re also down top defenseman Aron Kiviharju due to injury.
In their absence, look for Devils prospect Lenni Hameenaho to shine with, perhaps, an introduction to one of the top expected picks in 2024, forward Konsta Helenius.
More likely than not, a less-than-supercharged Finnish side will dig deeper into their defensive systems to keep things close.
That shouldn’t bother Canada, who showed they can fill it up, hanging with the tourney-favorite Americans in their final tune-up, losing 6-5 in overtime.
My best bet: Over 5.5 goals (-110 at SIA)
Canada vs Finland moneyline & Over/Under analysis
Canada’s lone loss on the moneyline a year ago was in their tournament opener when they were stunned by Czechia 5-2.
Following that loss, Canada reeled off six straight wins en route to the tourney title, avenging their loss to Czechia with a 3-2 win in the final.
Their moneyline odds have stayed mostly in the -220 range.
As for Finland, they finished a disappointing 2-3 overall in last year’s tournament, including their opener to Switzerland. Their underdog odds have stayed mostly in the +160 range.
Looking at the total, Canada crossed this scoring line of 5.5 goals in six of seven tournament games a year ago, while the Fins topped it twice in their five contests in Halifax.
In pre-tournament action, Canada went Over 5.5 goals in all three matches, including an 8-0 win over Denmark’s U25 team, and 6-3 over Switzerland. Finland scored a 4-1 win over Czechia and a 5-1 win over Slovakia in their pre-tourney play.
Canada vs Finland betting trend to know
Prior to the opening game loss to Czechia in 2023, Canada had won their previous six opening matches at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Canada vs Finland game info
| Location: | Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Date: | Tuesday, December 26, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 8:30 a.m. ET |
| TV: | TSN |
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