It all begins anew on Tuesday morning, as Canada begins their quest to bring home a third straight gold at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship. Boxing Day has become one of Canada’s great sporting traditions, the first game in a quest for immortality for a group of players projected to be the next generation of hockey stardom. All the same, you can’t get too sucked into that noise and pressure – the players ultimately have to play their games like any other tournament, and that begins with a round-robin game against Finland.
Bet on Canada vs. Finland
CAN -193
FIN +140
Team Canada are distinct favourites heading into Tuesday, with odds of victory sitting at -193 on the moneyline.
Canada vs. Finland odds
| Canada Moneyline Odds | -193 |
| Finland Moneyline Odds | +140 |
| Puck Line odds | Canada -1.5 (+125), Finland +1.5 (-173) |
| Total Goals line | 5.5 goals (over -125, under -112) |
| Time/Date | Dec. 26, 8:30 a.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN Stream: TSN+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About Team Canada (0-0)
Canada enters this tournament with high expectations, though that’s hardly unfamiliar. Due to our talent pipeline and extreme interest in this under-20 tournament, there’s a gold-or-bust mentality across these lands, with anything short of ultimately victory being a loss.
Does Canada have the team to match that? It can certainly be argued, though they enter the tournament with just the third-best odds of winning it all (+250). Canada played two pre-tournament games to prepare for the ones that count. In their first one, they won 6-3, though there were a couple of causes for concern. Whether it was Switzerland tying the game after Canada went up 2-0, or Macklin Celebrini being ejected for a check from behind that ultimately went un-suspended, the ride was far from being on cruise control. In their second game, they fell 6-5 to the United States, who are currently favoured to win the tournament at (+175). Montreal Canadiens fans will be torn by the conclusion, as their prospect Lane Hutson scored the overtime winner for the USA, but did so off a turnover by Owen Beck, who is also a Habs pick.
About Team Finland (0-0)
On the other side, Finland sits at the fourth-best odds to win the tournament (+600), and has a little bit to prove after a quarterfinal elimination last year at the hands of archrival Sweden. Their team isn’t as full of high-end prospects as the big three favourites (USA, Sweden, Canada), but features a bevy of solid NHL draft picks and draft-eligible talent who can make things interesting.
In pre-tournament action, Finland defeated Slovakia 5-1 on December 19th, and two days later, beat Czechia (Czech Republic) 4-1 on the back of three powerplay goals. Arttu Karki, Rasmus Kumpulainen, Jani Nyman, and Emil Hemming had Finland’s goals, showing a bit of variety across the lineup.
Projected Lineups
| Team Canada WJC Lines | Team Finland WJC Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Fraser Minten – Conor Geekie – Jordan Dumais Easton Cowan – Matthew Poitras – Matthew Savoie Owen Allard – Owen Beck – Nate Danielson Matthew Wood – Macklin Celebrini – Brayden Yager Defence Denton Mateychuk – Maveric Lamoureaux Jake Furlong – Noah Warren Jorian Donovan – Oliver Bonk Starting In Goal Mathis Rousseau 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 SV% | Forwards Lenni Haameenaho – Konsta Helenius – Jani Nyman Aleksanteri Kaskimaki – Jere Lassila – Kasper Haltunen Jesse Kiiskinen – Oiva Keskinen – Emil Hemming Janne Naukkarinen – Rasmus Kumpulainen – Samu Bau Defence Arttu Karki – Kasku Kulonummi Jesse Pulkkinen – Otto Salin Veeti Vaisanen – Joona Vaisanen Starting In Goal Niklas Kokko 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 SV% |
- Canadian team NHL Prospects on Canada: Fraser Minten (TOR), Easton Cowan (TOR), Owen Beck (MTL)
- 2024 Draft Eligible prospects on Canada: Macklin Celebrini, Owen Allard, Mathis Rousseau, Samuel St. Hilaire
- Canadian team NHL Prospects on Finland: Samu Bau (OTT)
- 2024: Draft Eligible prospects on Finland: Konsta Helenius, Jere Lassila, Janne Nuakkarinen, Max Koskipirtti, Jesse Pulkkinen, Veeti Valisanen, Joona Vaisanen, Eemil Vinni, Noa Vali
Total goals over 5.5
-125
Today’s 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal Odds
Here are the odds to win the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship, heading into December 26th:
| Country | Odds | Country | Odds | Country | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | +175 | Sweden | +225 | Canada | +250 |
| Finland | +600 | Czech Republic | +2000 | Slovakia | +3000 |
| Switzerland | +10000 | Germany | +15000 | Latvia | +50000 |
| Norway | +75000 |
Top Scorers
Canada’s Top Scorers
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Minten | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Conor Geekie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Dumais | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Easton Cowan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 Other Skaters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Finland’s Top Scorers
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenni Haameenaho | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Konsta Helenius | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jani Nyman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arttu Karki | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 Other Skaters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wagers To Consider
- Individual player props have yet to come out for the Tuesday slate, and might not before puck drop. The first round of games in a tournament like this will usually see some caution, as it’s hard for the books to properly project lineups and fit. We’ll update you if more odds release.
- With that said, I do think Canada reasonably wins this game, and judging by the pre-tournament totals for both teams, I think it’ll be more open-ended than the 5.5-goal total line provides. I’d look at that (-125) to start and come back later if more appears that interests yourself or us.