Avalanche Prospects at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship

Four Colorado Avalanche prospects will represent their respective countries at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, which begins on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and runs through Jan. 5, 2021.

Forward Alex Newhook and defensemen Bowen Byram and Justin Barron will play for Team Canada, the defending champions at the under-20 tournament, and defenseman Drew Helleson will compete for the United States.  

Byram, 19, is one of six returning members from Canada’s championship team in 2020 and will serve as an alternate captain on the squad. The No. 4 overall pick by Colorado in the 2019 NHL Draft, Byram has also played for Canada at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, 2018 IIIHF U18 World Championship and 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Newhook, 19, is on his first national junior team for Canada after being one of the final cuts at last year’s selection camp. Chosen at No. 16 overall by the Avalanche in the 2019 draft, Newhook has competed internationally for Canada at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, 2018 World Junior-A Challenge and 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship.

Barron, 19, has played for Canada at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and won a gold medal at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The Halifax, Nova Scotia, native is one of the newest members of the Avalanche organization after he was picked 25th overall in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft. 

Canada’s Preliminary Round Schedule

Dec. 26 vs. Germany – 4 p.m. MTDec. 27 vs. Slovakia – 4 p.m. MTDec. 29 vs. Switzerland – 4 p.m. MTDec. 31 vs. Finland – 4 p.m. MT

Helleson, who was selected by Colorado in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, is participating in his first World Junior Championship. He spent two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2017-2019 and helped Team USA capture the bronze medal at the 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship in Sweden and earned a gold medal at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

United States’ Preliminary Round Schedule

Dec. 25 vs. Russia – 7:30 p.m. MTDec. 26 vs. Austria – 7:30 p.m. MTDec. 29 vs. Czech Republic – 12 p.m. MTDec. 31 vs. Sweden – 7:30 p.m. MT

Canada is part of Group A and will compete against Finland, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland in the preliminary round, while the United States is in Group B and will face Austria, Czech Republic, Russia and Sweden before the elimination games begin. The quarterfinals will be on Jan. 2 and the gold and bronze medal games are scheduled to be played on Jan. 5. 

Every contest of the 2021 World Junior Championship will be played at Rogers Place and will air live on NHL Network in the United States and on TSN networks in Canada.