When you can watch Calgary Flames prospects at the 2023 World Juniors

It’s the holiday season, and that means it’s also World Juniors season! The 2023 edition of the IIHF Under-20 World Championship, otherwise known as the World Juniors, begins on Boxing Day! Two Calgary Flames prospects are participating – Finland’s Topi Rönni and Sweden’s William Strömgren.

Here’s when you can watch the Flames prospects try to capture gold.

Strömgren was the Flames’ second round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft. Originally part of the Rögle BK system, he moved to Brynäs IF this season and has played in their bottom six on the wing for much of the season. This is his first World Juniors as part of Sweden’s national junior team. (He’s a 2003 birthday, so he won’t be eligible for next year’s tournament.)

Sweden is in Group A, playing in Halifax, along with Canada, Czechia, Germany and Austria. Strömgren has played as a fourth line winger or 13th forward in the pre-tournament games, so don’t expect him to play a major role in the tournament.

Rönni was the Flames’ second round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s part of the Tappara Tampere system; he’s become a full-time part of their Liiga team this season and has played as a bottom six centre this season. This is his first World Juniors as part of Finland’s national junior team. (He’s a 2004 birthday, so he will be eligible for next year’s tournament.)

Finland is in Group B, playing in Moncton, along with the United States, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia. Rönni has been used as a third line centre for Finland in the pre-tournament games.

Each team plays the other teams in their group once during round robin play, with the top four teams moving onto the medal round. The last place teams in each group play each other in a best-of-three relegation series, with the winner advancing to the 2024 tournament and the loser being dropped down a division (with Norway, the lower division’s winner this year, replacing them in the 2024 field).

(Even if teams don’t win medals, their finishes at this event impact their seeding and group for next year’s tournament.)

The round robin runs from Boxing Day until New Year’s Eve. (All games are on TSN.)

The medal round runs Jan. 2-5. Seedings and exact schedules will be available after the final round robin game. But quarterfinals go Jan. 2, the semis Jan. 4, and the medal games are Jan. 5.