GOTHENBURG, Sweden – The quarterfinals at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship are set and ready to be played Tuesday, Jan. 2 in Gothenburg. Defending champion Canada finished second in Group A and will meet Czechia, the third-place team from Group B.

• FloHockey's 2024 World Juniors Hub
• Macklin Celebrini NHL Draft/World Junior Tracker
• 2024 World Juniors Quarterfinals Schedule Set

The teams that win their quarterfinal matchups will advance to the semifinals, where they will be re-seeded with the top team playing the lowest-remaining seed and so on. All semifinals and medal games will be played in Gothenburg’s Scandinavium.

This year’s quarterfinal is loaded with six teams that should feel they have a legitimate shot at winning the gold medal, including Canada and the Czechs, which both played for the gold medal last year. Canada won that game in a dramatic overtime finish on home ice. A few of these Czech players were on that roster last year and will be looking for revenge.

To get you ready for each QF matchup, FloHockey is doing a quick breakdown of each quarterfinal which will feature a number of NHL prospects and often plenty of drama. Here's a look at Canada's tough quarterfinal showdown with Czechia.

2024 World Juniors Quarterfinal Matchup Schedule

Slovakia vs. Finland, 6 a.m. ET (Frölundaborg)

Canada vs. Czechia, 8:30 a.m. ET (Scandinavium)

USA vs. Latvia, 11 a.m. ET (Frölundaborg)

Sweden vs. Switzerland, 1:30 p.m. ET (Scandinavium)

No. 2A Canada (3-0-0-1) vs. No. 3B Czechia (2-0-1-1)

Another incredible matchup on paper, Canada has a clear depth advantage but Czechia has some legitimate star power in their lineup and if they get the goaltending, they’re a challenging team to beat. The Czechs were the only team to test the Americans in preliminary play, taking them to overtime in a hard-fought game. Meanwhile, Canada’s lone blemish was a shutout loss to Sweden, but they did close out preliminary play with a tougher game against Germany.

These two sides met for the gold medal last year. Most of the key players are gone, but one who isn’t is Jiri Kulich (BUF) who is one of the better pro prospects playing in the tournament this year. His goal-scoring ability can change the game and he’s going to play a boatload of minutes.

Czechia will also have to find a way to slow down Canada’s 17-year-old sensation Macklin Celebrini. He is tied for second in the tournament with eight points and stands to earn more ice time with Canada at this stage of the WJC. He’s a deadly scorer and can take over a shift faster than you can blink.

*ahem*
MACKLIN CELEBRINI

That's it. That's the post. pic.twitter.com/Oy0RyHk83b

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) December 31, 2023

The Canadians are also awaiting the status on Matt Savoie (BUF), who did not play in the game against Germany due to injury. Hockey Canada brought Jagger Firkus (SEA) overseas in case Savoie was unable to continue, but they're going to give him some more time. Additionally, at this stage, there does not appear to be supplemental discipline coming for Conor Geekie (ARI), who had a game misconduct in Canada's win over Germany.

Goaltending is going to be quite interesting in this one. Michael Hrabal (ARI) is a 6-foot-6 behemoth, but has had some shaky moments. When he’s at his best, though, he looks unbeatable at times. Meanwhile, Mathis Rousseau played quite well for Canada in the preliminary round. He started all four games and owns a .924 save percentage coming into the day’s action.

Czechia has guys that can pick their spots like Kulich, Eduard Sale (SEA) and Matyas Sapovaliv (VGK). They also have size, so they won’t be able to be pushed around as easily by Canada’s big defense corps.

This game is probably a bit more evenly-matched than we think, but I’d trust Canada’s depth more than I do Czechia’s to be the difference in this game.

Key Players To Watch In Canada-Czechia Quarterfinal Matchup

Jiri Kulich, C/W, Czechia (BUF): He’s a special player who can score big goals with the best of them. A dangerous power-play weapon and a threat to shoot from anywhere, Kulich leads the Czechs with four goals and seven points in the tournament. I’d expect him to play upwards of 22 to 23 minutes in the game, double-shifting if the Czechs are hunting for goals.

Macklin Celebrini, C, Canada (2024): He’s been Canada’s best player and one of the tournament’s best. It seems like he responds just about whenever his team needs him to, even when it’s a game they should have easily like against Germany. Having that player is pretty important for any team, but that Celebrini is that player as a 17-year-old as impressive. We saw Connor Bedard do that with more points last year, but Celebrini is basically in that same role this year.

🪄 Magic Macklin.

Celebrini really just scored from that angle🥴 pic.twitter.com/mqngYVDzbv

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) December 31, 2023

Prediction

Canada 5, Czechia 3

2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Quarterfinals 

The quarterfinals begin on Jan. 2, 2024 with four games starting at 6 a.m. EST and the final game scheduled for 1:30 p.m. 

2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Semifinals

The semifinals begin on Jan. 4 with games starting at 6 a.m. EST and finishing at 1:30 p.m. 

2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Finals

The Bronze Medal Game of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships begins at 9 a.m. EST on Jan. 5. 

The Gold Medal Game is at 1:30 p.m. EST.  

World Juniors Stream In 2023- 2024

The World Juniors Championships will air the NHL Network in the U.S.. Select games will be available on ESPN+.

World Juniors Hockey On TSN In Canada

In Canada, the event will be televised on TSN and streamed on TSN+.

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