The outbreak of coronavirus in Sweden and the absence of stars from the USA and Canada: the Russian national team has become the main favorite of the MFM-2021 hockey

Just over two weeks remain before the start of the 2021 World Youth Championship, and every day the situation around the tournament is becoming more tense.

Several stellar young hockey players have not received permission from their clubs to go to Edmonton, and a number of others have tested positive for coronavirus and will also not be able to participate in the competition.

At the same time, the most difficult situation has developed in the Swedish national team, which is considering a possible refusal to participate in the planetary championship.

Over the past few weeks, the Scandinavians have lost several leading hockey players at once in the person of William Eklund, Karl Henriksson, William Wallinder and Albin Greve.

All of them passed a positive test for COVID-19 and, in accordance with the regulations, were deprived of the right to take part in the 2021 World Cup.

However, later the situation became even more deplorable when Tre Kronur lost the opportunity to rely on their head coach in the person of Thomas Monten, as well as his three assistants - Anders Lundberg, Adam Almqvist and Nizze Landen.

It is noted that after that, the team seriously thought about the possible refusal of a trip to Edmonton.

It is worth noting that all four of the aforementioned players are among the leaders of the current Swedish national team.

In addition to the 18-year-old Eklund, his older partners have already nominated themselves for the NHL Draft and were selected in the second round.

Wallinder and Greve ended up at Detroit and Henriksson at Rangers.

At the same time, they have not yet managed to debut for new clubs, and at the moment all three are playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

As for Eklund, he is considered one of the most talented Swedish ice hockey players at the moment, and experts tipped him a place in the top 20 in the NHL draft in 2021.

The reason for this is his overly successful performance for the senior team of Djurgården this season, during which he scored seven goals and five assists in 16 matches.

By comparison, his older teammate Greve only boasts three (2 + 1) points.

In this regard, it is not surprising that the Scandinavians are seriously thinking about refusing to participate in the youth world championship.

In such a weakened composition, they are unlikely to be able to perform at their usual high level.

In the last ten tournaments, they reached the semifinals nine times and became medalists five times (gold, three silver and bronze).

It should be noted that, in accordance with the admission rules to the World Youth Championship, many other teams risk being left without a number of key players.

According to the famous journalist Darren Draeger, according to the protocol, the national teams must arrive in Edmonton no later than December 13, and the players, coaches and other personnel must have three negative coronavirus tests with them.

At the same time, problems with the recruitment of the composition haunt not only Sweden.

At the upcoming MFM Germany, three hockey players will be missing at once, and the coronavirus is also indicated as the reason.

With a difference of several days, the disease was detected in Nino Kinder and Elias Lindner, as well as one of the leaders of the Bundestim striker "Chicago" Lucas Reichel.

During the last tournament, the left-handed striker became one of the top scorers of the German team (3 + 2), after which he was selected 17th in the NHL draft.

Even the hosts of the competition will find it extremely difficult to approach him in perfect physical condition.

At the end of November, the Canadian national team in full force went into a two-week quarantine due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and only resumed full training on December 8.

At the same time, five left the team at once - Matthew Robertson, Mason Millman, Damon Hunt, Xavier Simono and Ridley Grieg.

For the entire five, the upcoming youth world championship was supposed to be the debut in their careers, and the most serious loss can be called Grieg.

In the 2020 Draft, he was selected by Ottawa under the overall 28th position, and last season he played well for the Brandon Wet Kings.

In 56 games, he scored 26 goals and 34 assists.

However, the problems of the Canadian national team are associated not only with the coronavirus, but also with the reluctance of NHL clubs to let their young stars go to Edmonton.

For this reason, the most valuable player of last year's tournament Alexis Lafrenier will not perform at the youth championship of the planet.

The Hockey Canada was interested in inviting a forward, but the New York Rangers refused.

For the same reason, one should not wait for the arrival of another representative of the “blue shirts”, Finn Kaapo Kakko, as well as the American forward of the “New Jersey Devils” Jack Hughes.

True, the US national team is unlikely to have a shortage of outstanding performers and even without a star center forward will claim gold medals.

In early December, she announced the preliminary composition, but was soon forced to amend it.

For unnamed reasons, forward Robert Mastrosimone, defender Alex Vlasik and goalkeeper Drew Commesso will not go to the MFM-2021.

Nevertheless, ten players appeared on the roster at once, who played a year ago in Ostrava and Trinec.

Travis Zegras (0 + 9), Arthur Kaliev (4 + 2) and Nick Robertson (2 + 3) deserve special attention.

Taking into account the problems of the main competitors, the Russian national team may well be considered the main favorite of the championship.

According to the press service, the team continues to systematically prepare for the tournament, and no coronavirus infected have been identified.

True, there were some changes in the line-up.

So, the goalkeeper of Moscow "Dynamo" Vadim Zherenko was summoned to the location of the team.

However, it is not known who exactly he is obliged to replace.

Larionov himself shared his expectations from the 2021 World Youth Championship and admitted that he was not afraid of the prospect of spending about two weeks in a “bubble”.

“Yes, we are in a difficult situation, like the whole world.

But we are aware that the World Youth Championship is the only big tournament to be held this year.

And we know how serious the protocol will be in Edmonton, and is already in force in Novogorsk.

Therefore, for us, this gathering is a rehearsal of what will be in Canada.

You need to calmly transfer it all.

There is no need to worry, we do not need anything here.

The main thing is that in the course of the tournament we don't lose a single guy, that everyone is healthy and follows the prescribed rules.

And this is possible only thanks to serious discipline - both at home and on the ice, ”the press service of the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR) quotes Larionov.