On December 26, 2017, the Youth Ice Hockey World Championship 2017-2018 (MFM) started in Buffalo. The first matches have already been able to show whether the Russian “youth team” has a chance for champion status. The results were quite contradictory: one loss and one victory.
At the group stage, all teams were divided into two groups into A and B. Group A included the following countries: Canada (U - 20), USA (U - 20), Finland (U - 20), Slovakia (U - 20), Denmark (U–20). Group B included teams from the following countries: Sweden (U-20), Russia (U-20), Czech Republic (U-20), Switzerland (U-20), Belarus (U-20). All matches will be played at the stadium New Era Field (New Era Field) and arenas Keybank Center (KeyBank Center) and Harbor Center (HarborCenter).
Ice Hockey World Youth Championship 2017 results: opening matches
On December 26 and 27, the following matches were held: Belarus - Sweden - 1:6; Canada - Finland - 6:2, Switzerland - Belarus 3:2, and Czech Republic - Russia - 5:4. The first match of the Russian "youth team" went quite smoothly. At first the game was sluggish, but in the second period the score changed from 2:2 to 4:2, and then to 5:2. But then the Russians got a "second wind" and they were able to change the score to 5:4. Although our youth team didn't manage to win this game, but the fans still think that this is a pretty good result for the Russian U-20 team, but they are worried about their next matches.
Ice Hockey World Youth Championship 2017 results: latest matches
On December 28 there were such matches: Slovakia - Canada - 0:6, Finland - Denmark - 4:1, Russia - Switzerland - 5:2 - the first victory of the Russian youth team in the MFM. A very difficult win, but extremely pleasant for all fans. In this match, Vladislav Semin opened the scoring in the 11th minute of the game. More for Russian team goals were scored by Klim Kostin (39), Artur Kayumov (52), Georgy Ivanov (59) and Vitaly Abramov (59). And for the Swiss youth team, goals were scored by Marco Miranda (21) and Ken Jaeger (43).
Today, December 29, Friday, two matches ended: Sweden - Czech Republic - 3:1 and USA - Slovakia - 2:3.
Ice Hockey World Youth Championship 2017 results: schedule of upcoming matches
Already today, December 29, at 20:00 the game will pass Belarus - Russia, and at 23:00 there will be a match Canada - USA. December 30: 20:00 Czech Republic - Belarus, 22:00 Sweden - Switzerland. And 2017 will end with such matches: 00:00 Finland - Slovakia, 04:00 Denmark - Canada, 20:00 Switzerland - Czech Republic. Already on the first day of the coming year - January 1, that is, Monday: 00:00 USA - Finland, 02:00 Slovakia - Denmark, 04:00 Russia - Sweden.
The 2018 Youth Ice Hockey World Championship starts on December 26, 2017 and ends on January 5, 2018. The next draw of the tournament, like the last time, will take place on the territory North America in the American city of Buffalo. Leaders will come to the championship hockey teams. Spectators will see the teams of Canada, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland, the USA - a total of 10 national teams. But only one of them will win the trophy of the 42nd edition of the championship.
Where and when will the 2018 Ice Hockey World Youth Championship take place
Spectators will see the sports action from December 26, 2017 to January 5 next year. Hockey players will gather in the American city of Buffalo. Three modern sports complexes will be at their service: New Era Field, Cybank Center and Harbor Center.
"Harbor Center"
A multidisciplinary complex, which is widely used for exhibitions and concerts. The capacity is very low - 1,800. It seems that the organizers will seriously think about how to increase the number of seats.
"Kibank-center"
The home arena of the local hockey team "Buffalo Sabers", designed for 19,000 spectators. Within the walls of the SC, both semi-final matches and the final of the World Cup will take place.
"New Era Field"
Huge football stadium in the open air, in the stands of which more than 71,000 fans can fit. But viewers need not worry. The organizers are not going to freeze them for the entire tournament. Only one match will be played on New Era Field ice. But what - USA vs Canada! The game will take place within group stage.
2018 Ice Hockey World Cup schedule among youth teams
Here's what the calendar of matches for the upcoming tournament looks like:
- 26 – 31 December 2017: group round;
- January 2, 2018: quarter-finals;
- The 25th of January: consolation round;
- 4 January: semi-final;
- 5 January: final and duel for bronze.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the consolation round. This is a three-match series of games, which is played up to 2 victories. It meets the two worst members of the groups. The winner of the confrontation gets the opportunity to stay in the top division, and the loser is relegated to the league one level below.
Teams Ice Hockey U20 World Championship 2018
The "hockey world championship" will be attended by 10 ice teams, staffed by players no older than 20 years old. The organizers of the tournament have already divided them into two quintets.
Group A:
- Canada;
- Denmark;
- Slovakia;
- Finland.
One match each will take place at New Era Field and Harbor Center, and the rest at Cybank Center.
Group B:
- Russia;
- Sweden;
- Czech;
- Switzerland;
- Belarus.
Hockey matches will be held on the ice of the Cybank Center and the Harbor Center.
Russian national team at the 2018 Youth Ice Hockey World Championship
Our "young shoot" will again try to win the gold medals of the competition. The schedule of the games of the Russian team in the group stage of the World Cup is as follows:
- December 26, 2017: Russia - Czech Republic;
- December 28th: Russia - Switzerland;
- December 29th: Russia - Belarus;
- Dec. 31: Russia - Sweden.
The group is even. It is hard to imagine that the domestic squad will not be able to break into the playoffs. The main opponents for the first place in the quintet are likely to be the Swedes and the Czechs.
2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Cup Final
It is difficult to predict who will qualify for the final. But if we look at the statistics recent years, then the list of potential participants looks like this: Russia, Canada, USA, Finland and Sweden.
Canada
16-time winners of the competition. Especially a lot of gold stamped "Maple Leaves" in the mid-90s and 2000s. There is no doubt that the Canadians will try to bring the number of their victories to 17!
Russia
The domestic squad can boast of 13 awards of the highest standard, 4 of which it has won in the modern period. Last time our boys won gold in 2011. Since then, Valery Bragin's wards have been very close to success. But so far they manage to take only silver and bronze.
Finland
The Suomi team was the best 4 times. The last gold went to them in 2016. It is noteworthy that already in the next edition, the Finns almost flew out of the elite division. In general, you don’t know what to expect from these strange Finnish guys…
Sweden
The Scandinavians took the World Cup trophy only 2 times. Not too much for such a serious hockey country. But Tre Krunur has a chance to improve!
The tournament will take place in an American city. Therefore, there is no doubt that the US team - the winner of the 2017 World Cup - will tear and throw, supported by native stands!
Ice Hockey World Youth Championship 2017 years will pass in the homeland of the founders of the presented game - In Canada. Annually this tournament collects the strongest national teams of the planet, which include many outstanding novice players and future stars big ice. The competition in question is interesting for fans with its unpredictability, entertainment, as well as uncompromising struggle, because young hockey players fight desperately in every single combat, showing the best fighting qualities.
Tournament Regulations
MFM 2017 in hockey starts on December 26, 2016, and the final match is scheduled for January 5 next year. All matches will take place at the following ice arenas:
- Air Canada Center (Toronto);
- Bell Center (Montreal).
MFM 2017, which will be the 41st hockey competition among youth squads under the auspices of the IIHF, will bring together 10 teams from Europe and North America. The newcomer to the elite will be the Latvian team, which has risen from the First Division. This team will replace hockey players from Belarus, who turned out to be weaker than the Swiss in the Consolation round (the first match - 2:6, the second match - 1:5).
All competing teams have already been divided into two subgroups, 5 squads each. In the first of them, the national teams of Finland (the current winners of the tournament), Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland will compete. In the second subgroup, hockey players from Russia, the USA, Canada, Slovakia and Latvia will play their matches. Based on the results of the group stage 4 best teams advance to the play off stage, forming quarter-final pairs, while the two worst teams will play a best-of-two series for the right to remain in the elite division.
Arenas for ice battles
The arenas that will host the 2017 Youth Ice Hockey World Championship deserve special attention. One of them will be the Air Canada Center, where the local NHL team Toronto plays its home games. The multifunctional complex is able to accommodate about 19 thousand spectators and has a modern infrastructure for a comfortable stay of fans throughout the match. The complex has repeatedly hosted world-class events (tournaments, concerts, shows), as a result of which the organizers are confident that all fights here will be held at the highest level.
Second sports complex The Bell Center, located in Montreal, can accommodate 21,000 spectators. Canadians consider this arena unfortunate, since it was here that their team lost to the United States in the 1996 Hockey World Cup. However, these prejudices have not prevented the Bell Center from becoming the busiest arena in the country, hosting dozens of sports. The organizers chose this particular complex for the home matches of their national team, and here, according to preliminary data, the final match will be played, in which local fans dream of seeing the triumph of the Canadians.
Who is worth paying attention to?
The 2016-2017 Youth Ice Hockey World Championship promises to be an unpredictable tournament. The fact is that every year the composition of the world teams is significantly updated, since players whose age at the start of the competition did not exceed 20 years old can take part in the tournament. No self-respecting specialist will predict how the game will go for beginners, therefore, at the last MFM in Finland, the winners were local favorites, who were considered contenders for the title only in the most daring forecasts. In any case, the following teams should be watched at the tournament:
- Finland;
- Canada;
- Russia;
Will he be able to repeat his success current champion tournament, the Finnish team is a big question. Unfortunately, how good the Finns are in attack, how bad they are in defense. At the last world championship, Jukka Jalonen's team managed to leave their gates intact only in the match with Belarusians (score 6:0), and in the tense semifinal match with the Swedes 1 goal was missed (final score 2:1). In the rest of the matches, 3 or more goals hit the Finns' gates. Only the first three of the attack pulled out all the games, regularly scoring in each of the games played. It will be extremely difficult to do the same in Canada, because many leaders of the national team will no longer be able to help their team, as they will not pass the age limit. 
The main disappointment of the youth ice hockey world championship in 2016 was the Canadians, who left at the quarterfinal stage. The stronger will be the desire of the “maple leaves” to prove the accident of the troubles that have occurred. Canada has always had more than enough talented players, while the main problem of the national team remains the establishment of team interactions. In any case, at home, the youth hockey team will give all their best on the ice (which we have not seen, for example, in Finland), so now they are the main contenders for the title.
The Russian national team, which does not have bright names in its composition, captivates fans with its dedication.
Thanks to the well-coordinated team play, Valery Bragin's wards from year to year reach decisive games competitions, but the coveted trophy invariably eludes the Russians. So it was at the last World Championship, when the decisive puck was conceded by the Finns only in Extra time. There is time to correct mistakes, especially since the backbone of the national team is likely to play in the upcoming tournament.
Favorites of the Youth Ice Hockey World Championship in 2017
MFM Hockey 2017, which will be held in Canada, is impossible to imagine without the US team. The Americans are considered the favorites in almost every such competition, but the lack of motivation always leads to embarrassing defeats. At the previous tournament in Finland, the USA lost in the semi-finals to the Russians charged for the fight, while the decisive role in the duel was played by the moral unpreparedness of the Americans for an uncompromising fight. Without a doubt, a huge army of Stars and Stripes fans will arrive in Montreal, so American hockey players will definitely not be left without support and a positive charge of emotions.
Thus, the 2016-2017 Youth Ice Hockey World Championship promises to be a spectacular tournament with an abundance of abandoned pucks. Who will be the winner of the competition, and who will be the loser - only time will tell, because it will be almost impossible to predict the winner of the tournament until the very last match.
At the end of the article, we suggest looking video 2016 Ice Hockey MFM Finals:
Ice Hockey World Youth Championship 2017, which will be held in the homeland of hockey, in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Montreal, starts on December 26, 2016. The final match of the World Championship among youth teams 2017, where hockey players under 20 years old participate, will be held on the final day of the tournament - January 5, 2017. Let's hope that the Russian youth hockey team, coached by Valery Bragin, will be able to reach the final.
Ice Hockey World Youth Championship: Schedule
We have already answered the questions - when and where will the Youth Ice Hockey World Championship take place. Now let's talk about the participants and structure of the tournament. 10 teams divided into two subgroups will take part in the Youth Ice Hockey World Championship 2017. The youth team of Russia will play in group B, where, in addition to it, there are teams from Canada, the USA, Slovakia and Latvia. In turn, the five teams of Group A will be the national teams of Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland. 4 teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, and then the playoff system will go on.
Now, more about the schedule of the youth ice hockey world championship 2017, compiled according to Moscow time. On the first day of the tournament, December 26, two matches will take place: Sweden and Denmark will play at 21:00 Moscow time, and the USA and Latvia will play at 23:30.
On December 27, at one in the morning, the Czechs and Finns will meet, and then, at four in the morning Moscow time, the Russian team will starting match MFM-2017 will play with the hosts of the championship, the Canadians. During the same day, on December 27, the Czechs will again take to the ice: at 21:00 they are scheduled to meet with the Swiss.
On the night of December 27-28, exactly at midnight, the Russian team will start its second match against the Latvians. At 01:30 on December 28, the Finns will play with the Danes, and at 04:00 the Canadians will examine the Slovaks.
Four fights are scheduled for Thursday, December 29th. At 01:00 the meeting of the Swedes with the Swiss will begin, at 03:30 - the Slovaks will play with the Americans, at 21:00 the Danes will cross sticks with the Czechs, and at 23:30 the Russian team will converge with the US team. Stars and Stripes, as you can see, will have to hold two meetings within 20 hours.
On Friday, December 30, there will be two matches: Finland - Sweden (01:30) and Latvia - Canada (04.00).
The last day of the outgoing year at the MFM will turn out to be eventful. On December 31, the ice will be played by: Switzerland - Denmark (01:00), Slovakia - Latvia (03.30), Sweden - Czech Republic (21:00) and the USA - Canada (23:30).
On New Year's Eve, January 1, the group stage will end with two games: Finland - Switzerland (01:30) and Russia - Slovakia (04:00). It should be noted that the Russian team will play all group stage matches in Toronto, at the Air Canada Center arena.
The quarter-finals will be held on January 2-3. On January 2, two matches will take place: at 21:00 the winner of group A will play with the team that took 4th place in group B, and at 23:30 the winner of group A will face the fourth team of group A. Earlier, at 19:00, there will be a repechage match for 9th place between outsiders.
On Tuesday, January 3, two more matches of the 1/4 finals will take place. At 01:30, the second team of group A will play with the third team of group B, and at 04:00 - the second team of group B will meet with the third team of group A.
The semi-finals of the MFM-2017 are scheduled for January 4-5. On January 4, at 23:00, the winner of the quarter-finals A1-B4 will play with the winner of the pair B2-A3, and on January 5, at 03:30, teams from quarterfinal couples B1-A4 and A2-B3.
On the evening of January 5, at 23:30, the match for 3rd place will take place, and on the night of January 5-6, at 04:00, the final match will begin in Montreal.
Youth Ice Hockey World Championship 2017: where to watch
All matches of the youth team of Russia on hockey with the MFM-2017 in live TV channel "Match TV". The start of live broadcasts coincides with the start of the meetings indicated above. Taking into account the fact that the games take place at a time that is not the most convenient for viewing in Russia (at night), the next morning Match TV will re-show the matches of the Russian national team in a recording.
The composition of the Russian team for the youth world championship 2017
In conclusion - about the youth team of Russia youth championship World Ice Hockey 2017. Main coach Russian youth team Valery Bragin called 23 hockey players to the tournament in Canada.
Goalkeepers: Anton Krasotkin (Loko), Vladislav Sukhachev (Chelmet), Ilya Samsonov (Metallurg Mg).
Defenders: Vadim Kudako (Severstal), Mikhail Sidorov (Ak Bars), Sergei Zborovsky (Regina), Egor Voronkov (Vityaz), Grigory Dronov (Metallurg Mg), Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor) ), Egor Rykov (SKA), Artem Volkov (Dynamo BSH).
Forwards: Kirill Kaprizov (Salavat Yulaev), Kirill Urakov (Torpedo NN), Danila Kvartalnov (CSKA), Alexander Polunin (Lokomotiv), Kirill Belyaev (Ugra), German Rubtsov (Vityaz), Pavel Karnaukhov (CSKA Moscow), Denis Alekseev (Admiral), Danil Yurtaikin (Ryazan), Mikhail Vorobyov (Salavat Yulaev), Yakov Trenin (Gatineau), Denis Guryanov (Texas).
January 4, 2017.
Semifinal.RUSSIA - USA 3:4 B (1:1; 1:2; 1:0; 0:0; 0:1)
The Russians scored pucks: Kaprizov (Vorobiev), Guryanov (Kudako, Karnaukhov), Guryanov.
The appearance of Ilya Samsonov at the gate was not a surprise. Forward Danil Yurtaykin returned to the squad, while defender Artem Volkov and forward German Rubtsov did not take part in the match.
In the beginning, the game went almost non-stop, while it didn’t reach really dangerous moments. The calm and accurate course of the match was broken by the first link of the Russians: Polunin imposed a fight in the zone of the Americans, Vorobyov left the puck to Kaprizov, who jumped out from behind the gate and punched Parsons. It was going to break, when luck smiled on the Americans - Keller threw it from the corner of the site, hitting his partner: a rebound and 1:1.
The second period began with the attacks of the Russian team, one of which ended with a goal by Guryanov, who finished off the puck after a long-range shot by Kudako. The Americans responded to the goal of the Russians with two, first Kanin scored in the majority, and then White again, not without the help of a rebound, brought the US team ahead - 3:2.
At the beginning of the third period, the Americans got the opportunity to increase their advantage thanks to a free throw, but Keller could not beat Samsonov, who tightly caught the puck. Not even a minute passed - Denis Guryanov showed how to implement a one-on-one exit, having issued a double. The time remaining until the end of the period passed in double-edged attacks, but at the time of the siren, the scoreboard showed 3:3. The extra ten minutes were a continuation of the third period: dangerous attacks, but again without result.
In the shootout, luck smiled at the opponent - the winning throw was scored by Troy Terry.
According to the Russian Ice Hockey Federation