The holiday season is a time for visits with family, stuffing your face with delicious high-carb items, and watching some of the finest young hockey players on the planet compete in the World Junior Championship.
With the tournament less than 48 hours away, we take a look at the crop of players who competed last year in Toronto and Montreal and will be back in Buffalo on Tuesday representing the red and white and the red, white, and blue.
Here are the 2017-18 returning players for both Team USA and Team Canada.
Team USA
| Player (Position) | NHL Team | Draft (Position) |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Anderson (F) | Devils | 2016-3rd round (73rd overall) |
| Patrick Harper (F) | Predators | 2016-5th round (138th overall) |
| Kieffer Bellows (F) | Islanders | 2016-1st round (19th overall) |
| Ryan Lindgren (D) | Bruins | 2016-2nd round (49th overall) |
| Adam Fox (D) | Flames | 2016-3rd round (66th overall) |
| Joseph Woll (G) | Maple Leafs | 2016-3rd round (62nd overall) |
| Jake Oettinger (G) | Stars | 2017-first round (26th overall) |
The reigning gold medalists boast an interesting group of returnees, headlined by No. 1 goaltender Jake Oettinger and forward Kieffer Bellows.
Oettinger didn't see any game action last tournament, but the 6-foot-4 first-round pick has obvious upside, and enters this year's tournament as the bona fide starter with a well-balanced team in front of him.
Bellows, meanwhile, was named as one of the assistant captains, and will be relied upon to light the lamp for Team USA. The skilled power forward has a strong net-front presence, along with the hands and skating ability to be a game-changing player. He's got 40 points in 31 games this season for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.
The Americans may be lacking the big-name talent they've boasted in recent years, but don't sleep on their potential to earn back-to-back world junior golds for the first time in the program's history.
Team Canada
| Player (Position) | NHL Team | Draft (Position) |
|---|---|---|
| Dillon Dube (F) | Flames | 2016-2nd round (56th overall) |
| Taylor Raddysh (F) | Lightning | 2016-2nd round (58th overall) |
| Michael McLeod (F) | Devils | 2016-1st round (12th overall) |
| Jake Bean (D) | Hurricanes | 2016-1st round (13th overall) |
| Dante Fabbro (D)* | Predators | 2016-1st round (17th overall) |
| Kale Clague (D) | Kings | 2016-2nd round (51st overall) |
| Carter Hart (G) | Flyers | 2016-2nd round (48th overall) |
* Denotes injury.
Team Canada's strength undoubtedly lies on the back end, where returning netminder Carter Hart is the Canadians' best shot at earning a medal. Hart has been nothing short of sensational this season in the WHL, standing on his head for the Everett Silvertips while racking up a 13-3-1 record to go along with a sparkling 1.32 goals-against average and .961 save percentage.
The red and white also return a solid defensive corps stacked with NHL prospects, including first-rounders Jake Bean and Dante Fabbro, and second-rounder Kale Clague, who will all be counted on to anchor the blue line.
Fabbro could miss the start of the tournament, as he is currently dealing with a lower-body contusion. Nineteen-year-old Josh Mahura was recalled to sub in for the injured Fabbro.
Up front, Dillon Dube, Taylor Raddysh, and Michael McLeod return from last year's silver-medal winners. That trio will be leaned on by head coach Dominique Ducharme to generate scoring chances for a Canadian team that could struggle to fill the back of the net.
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