Canada 2021 World Juniors Odds to Win, Roster Breakdown, and Preview

• Team Canada is favored to win the 2021 World Junior Championship
• The tournament gets underway on December 25h, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta
• See Team Canada’s roster, along with betting odds for the tournament below

Team Canada continues to see improvement in their 2021 World Junior Championship odds heading into the highly anticipated tournament that begins on Christmas Day. The Canadians are now listed as even money favorites after opening at +130.

Team Canada’s roster is highlighted by Chicago Blackhawks’ breakout star Kirby Dach, while Colorado Avalanche draft pick Bowen Byram and Los Angeles Kings’ draft pick Quinton Byfield are among the key supporting pieces.

Is there still value betting on this stacked Team Canada roster to take home the gold this year? We breakdown the roster and tournament odds below.

Team Canada’s 2021 World Junior Roster

2021 IIHF World Junior Championship Odds

All odds as of Dec. 22nd

Who Can Knock Off Canada? 

Team Canada is now listed as even money favorites to win the tournament after they opened at +130. It’s no surprise the public is backing Team Canada, as the Canadians have won the tournament in two of the past three years and lead all countries in gold medals at the World Juniors.

The Americans are always a threat to Team Canada, especially after they went out in disappointing fashion last year with a loss to Finland in the quarter-finals. They have one of the tournament’s most skilled forwards in Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Cole Caufield, along with seven other returning players.

Russia may be Canada’s biggest threat in the tournament, however. The Russians have medalled in eight of the last nine tournaments and lost by a 4-3 score in the gold medal game against Canada last year. Team Russia will have arguably the best goalie in the tournament in Nashville Predators’ first-round draft pick Yaroslav Askarov. The 18-year-old  looked fantastic in seven KHL starts this season, posting a .962 save percentage.

Team Canada is still a great bet to win this tournament when you look at their offense. The Canadians boast four elite scoring lines that have the potential to outscore any goaltending trouble. And we haven’t even touched on newcomer Jack Quinn, who scored an insane 52 goals in 62 OHL games last season. He will be eager to put his name on the map with a big performance at the tournament.

2021 IIHF World Junior Championship Group A Odds

Canadians Vulnerable In Group Play

If you don’t want to wager on Canada winning the entire tournament, you can simply bet them to win their group this year. The Canadians have only won their group in two of the past five years, but they’ve landed a favorable group slate this time around. Finland is the only team given a realistic chance at knocking off the Canadians.

You can never count out the Finns at the World Juniors, which means there’s better value taking this talented Canadian squad to win the entire thing instead of paying the steep price for them to win Group A. Finland doesn’t necessarily come into the tournament every year with the best roster on paper, but they always compete and have won three of the last seven World Junior gold medals.

Finland is led by two very talented players in forward Anton Lundell and defenseman Ville Heinola. Lundell has recorded 12 goals and 20 points in 17 games in the Finnish league this season, while Heinola impressed in limited NHL action with Winnipeg last season. It’s possible Canada loses to Finland in round-robin play but still makes a lengthy run in the playoff as they gain more chemistry.