2024 World Juniors betting preview: USA favored in 3-horse race

The 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship is right around the corner, and, for once, Canada does not enter the tournament as favorites.

The back-to-back gold-medal winners are priced as the second-best team, with the United States entering with the shortest odds to win it all.

Sweden, this year's host, is tucked in right behind the two powerhouses in what looks to be a wide-open race up top.

Let's take a closer look at the tournament odds and the outlook for each country.

I wasn't surprised to see the Americans favored to win it all. The team is loaded across the board. It has a dangerous forward group headed by Cutter Gauthier, who has a real shot to lead the tournament in goals, and Rutger McGroaty. That duo is complimented by an abundance of high-end players, including 2023 first-round picks Will Smith, Gabriel Perreault, and Ryan Leonard. This is a group loaded with high-end skill and the feistiness and work ethic that will get under the skin of opponents.

The Americans also have a well-rounded defense. They have reliable minute munchers as well as dynamic, game-breaking talents like Lane Hutson and Seamus Casey. Those two should be able to move the puck effortlessly and unlock the team's offense.

When all else fails, the United States can rely on great goaltending. They might well have the best tandem in the tournament, with Jacob Fowler and Trey Augustine both capable of stealing games on any given night.

The Canadians should put up a good fight as they shoot for a three-peat. They don't have a Connor Bedard-type gamebreaker this year, but their forward group is very deep and balanced.

Bruins forward Matthew Poitras gives the team a needed jolt at the top of the lineup. He will be supported by Matthew Savoie, Connor Geekie, Brayden Yager, Fraser Minten, and an abundance of strong two-way forwards who can move up and down the lineup and play different roles.

The defense is in good shape as well. Tristan Luneau put up 80 points in junior a season ago and has spent this season playing pro hockey in the Ducks' organization. He and Denton Mateychuk are strong blue-line anchors who should be able to chew up 25 minutes a night while contributing at both ends of the ice.

The biggest question mark for Canada is in goal, which has been a common theme in recent years. It doesn't need its goaltenders to steal games but can't afford for them to be handed over the other way. Can anyone step up and provide competent netminding against the tournament's best? That'll determine the ceiling of this team.

Sweden has high-end talent up top in Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Liam Ohgren, but its biggest advantage is depth. The team has a lot of talented players, several of whom have real experience playing pro hockey. The Swedes will try and attack opponents with four lines of quality players who can play with great pace. That's how they'll look to wear teams down. They don't have a showstopper in goal, but their goaltending should be strong, as it always is.

Finland generally finds success by playing a structured game and capitalizing on mistakes. That's what the team will need to do in order to be a real threat in this tournament. It doesn't have a ton of high-end talent, nor does it have the same kind of depth we've come to expect. But, if the Finns commit to a strong 200-foot game and can stay out of the penalty box, they will hang around.

They don't have the firepower to win games if they open up and turn into track meets. The name of the game will be strong defense and Lenni Hameenaho giving the team key goals when needed most.

Czechia has the potential to surprise. It has 13 drafted players on this year's roster - and some very good ones at that. Jiri Kulich is averaging a point per game in the AHL and has scored 16 times through just 23 games. He is a one-shot shooter who can break a game open at any moment. Eduard Sale goes through peaks and valleys, but he is a highly talented first-round pick of the Kraken. When he's on, he is extremely difficult to slow down. Those two headline a strong forward group, which will be backed by a defense with four NHL-drafted prospects.

What I also like about this team is experience. It's rostering only one player under the age of 19 and has an average age of 19.7. These are experienced, physically mature players who should be able to process the emotions of high-stakes hockey.

Slovakia has produced a lot of talent in recent years. The problem is many of its marquee players are now in the NHL. Juraj Slafkovsky is a regular in Montreal while Simon Nemec has been a top-pairing guy with the Devils of late. Neither player will be released for this tournament as a result, which takes away a pair of difference-makers. Slovakia does have 11 drafted players but doesn't have much in the way of game-breaking talent. I don't think the team will score enough to contend with the big dogs, nor do I think it's good enough defensively to slow them down.

There is a big drop-off after Slovakia. Germany has only three NHL-drafted prospects on this year's team while Switzerland has just one. They will need great goaltending to have any chance of being competitive.

Latvia and Norway are likely to duke it out to try and avoid relegation. The Latvians have a couple of really talented forwards in Dans Locmelis and Sandis Vilmanis, both of whom are drafted and playing junior hockey in North America. I think those guys will help them steal the occasional point against lower-middle competition and see Latvia to safety when all is said and done.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.