The week after Christmas means that the annual IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships are in full swing.
The Ontario Hockey League is well-represented in this year's tournament, with 19 players representing the OHL. In the Canadian Hockey League as a whole, 55 current players are representing all ten countries in the tournament, running from Monday to January 5, 2017. Canada is hosting this year's championships with games being played at the Bell Centre in Montreal and the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The London Knights and Erie Otters have three OHL players each participating in the tournament. Knights goalie Tyler Parsons is playing for the United States, which beat Latvia 6-1 earlier Monday in Toronto. Finns Olli Juolevi and Janne Kuokkanen also represent the Knights.
The Windsor Spitfires have two players taking part. Defenceman Mikhail Sergachev is playing for Russia while Julius Nattinen is playing for Finland. Other OHL teams with two representatives are the Saginaw Spirit, Mississauga Steelheads, and the Oshawa Generals.
The Sarnia Sting's Adam Ruzicka is with the squad from Slovakia. Petrus Palmu of the Owen Sound Attack is with Finland.