The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship got underway yesterday, and this exciting tournament represents a wonderful opportunity to watch many of hockey’s brightest future stars for the first time. Team Canada is, as always, the favorite to emerge victorious, but the American squad should be quite competitive as well.

By far, the most compelling player participating in the tournament is 16-year-old John Tavares (Canada). Already considered the top prospect not playing in the NHL, Tavares will not be eligible for the NHL draft until 2009. As a result, he’ll likely continue toiling for the Oshawa Generals (OHL) for another two seasons. With 68 points in 30 games, Tavares is the OHL’s leading scorer, and by the time his draft year arrives, his advance billing could improbably exceed even that which preceded Penguins star Sidney Crosby.

All three local teams are represented, the Rangers leading the way with six participants: Bobby Sanguinetti (USA), Artem Anisimov (Russia), Alexei Cherepanov (Russia), David Kveton (Czech Republic), Carl Hagelin (Sweden), and David Skokan (Slovakia). Sanguinetti is an offensive defenseman in the mold of former Rangers star Brian Leetch, and he should play a key role on Team USA’s power play. And Cherepanov, who excelled in this tournament last year, could turn out to be the biggest steal of the 2007 draft if he continues to build upon his early success.

The Islanders have five prospects in the tournament: Kyle Okposo (USA), Rhett Rakhshani (USA), Robin Figren (Sweden), Stefan Ridderwall (Sweden), and Tomas Marcinko (Slovakia), but without a doubt, Okposo is the biggest curiosity. He is in the process of leaving the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers mid-season, with the intention of joining the Islanders after the tournament, and he will be looking to make a big impression for Team USA to confirm his NHLreadiness.

The Devils have only one player participating, but forward Matt Halischuk will be expected to play a key role on Team Canada’s stacked team. A talented penalty-killer with excellent hockey sense, Halischuk is quickly developing into a prototypical Devils forward. Not surprisingly, he’s turning out to be yet another draft-day steal by Lou Lamoriello and company; a fourth-round pick in last June’s draft, he has quickly surpassed many of the players selected before him.

Evocative of the Olympic tournament before NHL players began participating, the World Junior Hockey Championship often provide some of the year’s greatest hockey moments, and for the first time, the games will be readily available on American television. The NHL Network (now available in America) will televise live coverage of the entire medal round of the tournament, including both quarterfinal and semifinal contests, the bronzemedal game, and the gold-medal game.

Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by won-loss record, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty-killing success. Please note that the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1 DETROIT RED WINGS (1): Star defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, a perennial Norris Trophy candidate and one of the finest rearguards in NHL history, signed a contract extension this week that ensures that he’ll remain in Motown through the 2009–10 season.

REC PTS GS GA PP% PK%

26–7–3 55 124 79 19.55% 85.63%

2 OTTAWA SENATORS (2): After enduring a bit of a cold stretch in which he lost four straight games, netminder Martin Gerber has heated up again, wining five of his last six starts and reemerging as the Sens’ best option between the pipes.

23–8–4 50 119 88 17.81% 88.41%

3 DALLAS STARS (3): The Lone Star State clearly agrees with French-Canadian forward Mike Ribeiro, who has become the Stars’ top scoring threat. He’s leading the team with 19 goals and 39 points and has posted a team-best plus-10 rating thus far.

21–12–4 46 106 91 20.98% 89.94%

4 COLORADO AVALANCHE (7): Jose Theodore (7–7–1) has played fairly well this season, but the Avs play markedly better when Peter Budaj (14–6–1) is their last line of defense, so he will likely get the bulk of the playing time in the second half.

21–13–2 44 107 101 14.20% 83.21%

5 MINNESOTA WILD (5): Sniper Marian Gaborik demonstrated with his five-goal, six-point performance against the Rangers last week that, when healthy, he is the NHL’s most dynamic offensive player, even more so than Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin.

20–13–2 42 90 88 16.46% 83.66%

6 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (9): Martin Brodeur passed George Hainsworth by earning his 95th career shutout on Sunday night, moving him into second place on the NHL’s all-time list behind only Terry Sawchuk (103).

20–13–3 43 87 84 11.39% 83.44%

7 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (8): Netminder Roberto Luongo is without question the key to the Canucks’ success, but it doesn’t hurt that team captain Markus Naslund is back to producing at a near pointper-game pace (31 points in 37 games).

20–13–4 44 96 83 15.73% 85.31%

8 ST. LOUIS BLUES (10): Twenty-five-year-old winger Brad Boyes is showing no signs of cooling off. He’s tallied 21 goals in just 33 games and should top his former single-season high (26 goals in 2005–06) by the second week of January.

18–12–3 39 87 84 11.97% 87.10%

9 SAN JOSE SHARKS (4): Netminder Evgeni Nabokov has started all 35 of the Sharks’ games this season (previous career high: 67). If back-up Dimitri Patzold isn’t given more playing time, Nabokov will likely be worn down come playoff time.

18–12–5 41 86 78 12.79% 89.29%

10 BUFFALO SABRES (16): Fighting 30 mph winds and blowing snow, NHL work crews have begun the arduous process of converting Ralph Wilson Stadium (home of the NFL’s Bills) into an outdoor hockey rink for Tuesday’s game between the Sabres and Penguins.

19–14–1 39 109 96 17.61% 87.18%

11 MONTREAL CANADIENS (11): Former Rangers star Alexei Kovalev has been stellar for the Habs this season, leading the team in goals (15) and points (31); more than half his production (nine goals, 18 points) has come with the man advantage.

17–13–6 40 101 97 22.75% 81.58%

12 BOSTON BRUINS (6): Injuries to defensemen Aaron Ward (broken foot) and Andrew Alberts (post-concussion syndrome) are a key reason why the Bruins have lost four straight, giving up 16 goals in those four losses.

18–14–4 40 93 92 16.54% 79.19%

13 CAROLINA HURRICANES (14): The ‘Canes must do without All-Star forward Justin Williams (torn ACL) for at least four months; in his absence, Carolina will lean more heavily upon Cory Stillman and Ray Whitney (both tied for the team lead with 18 goals).

19–15–3 41 117 116 16.67% 76.33%

14 CALGARY FLAMES (13): The Flames haven’t lost in regulation in December, posting a very impressive 7–0–4 record during that stretch. It’s a clear sign that after a rough start, the team is finally starting to respond to new head coach “Iron” Mike Keenan.

17–13–7 41 105 106 12.12% 80.81%

15 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (22): Ever so quietly, former Flyers prospect Patrick Sharp is turning into a critical contributor for the Blackhawks; his 30 points are second on the team (behind rookie Patrick Kane) and his plus-14 rating is the ‘Hawks’ best.

18–15–2 38 104 98 16.05% 90.59%

16 ANAHEIM DUCKS (21): With three wins and a overtime loss in the four games following defenseman Scott Niedermayer’s return to the lineup, the Ducks are clearly buoyed by his steadying presence, particularly during special teams play.

18–15–5 41 91 100 12.79% 83.02%

17 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (15): Jeff Carter was the more highly-touted of the Flyers’ two first-round draft picks in 2003, but Mike Richards has become the better player to date. He leads the Flyers in goals (18), assists (24), and points (42).

16–14–4 36 106 99 21.05% 84.30%

18 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (17): The Isles are expected to ink top prospect Kyle Okposo to an entry-level contract shortly after the holiday roster freeze is lifted on Friday. Look for Okposo to get a chance to contribute immediately at the NHL level.

17–15–2 36 78 92 11.56% 86.98%

19 NEW YORK RANGERS (12): No NHL team scores fewer goals a game than the Rangers (2.22), a trend that must change if they’re to battle their way into the postseason; based upon a pointsper-game average, they’re currently on the outside looking in.

17–15–4 38 80 86 14.53% 86.84%

20 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (19): Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Sergei Gonchar are all contributing at expected levels, but the rest of the Pens’ lineup is littered with talented underachievers, most notably slumping sophomore Jordan Staal (three goals in 36 games).

18–16–2 38 98 107 17.24% 81.07%

21 PHOENIX COYOTES (23): Predicted to be among the NHL’s worst teams, Wayne Gretzky’s squad has battled its way to the precipice of playoff contention, with captain Shane Doan leading the way (nine points and a plus-6 rating in his last 10 games).

17–16–1 35 84 90 11.27% 85.33%

22 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (18): If the Blue Jackets continue to slip out of the playoff picture in the West, look for GM Scott Howson to trade veterans Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov (UFAs-to-be) for valuable futures.

15–14–6 36 84 82 12.35% 88.69%

23 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (20): Much like the Rangers of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Leafs are living under the false pretense that their fans would not tolerate a rebuilding effort. But by standing pat, the organization is prolonging the inevitable.

15–14–7 37 107 107 11.25% 83.54%

24 F LO R I DA PA N T H E RS (24): The Panthers have remained right in the thick of things in the East, a good thing given their propensity for strong finishes. And with goaltender Tomas Vokoun back in top form, they could be a big second half surprise.

17–16–3 37 89 96 19.15% 82.32%

25 ATLANTA THRASHERS (27): Four straight wins have the Thrashers right back in the playoff picture in the East, but if they slip out of contention, GM/ coach Don Waddell will be forced to evaluate offers for UFA-to-be Marian Hossa.

18–17–1 37 97 119 13.64% 82.24%

26 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (26): The goaltending tandem of Chris Mason and Dan Ellis has been inconsistent thus far and is the primary reason why the Preds have fallen into last place in the suddenly competitive Central Division.

16–16–2 34 92 99 10.83% 86.75%

27 EDMONTON OILERS (25): His first season in Edmonton got off to a very rocky start, but power forward Dustin Penner is starting to find his groove with the Oilers. He’s tallied nine points in his last 11 games and has posted a team-leading plus-6 rating.

16–18–3 35 86 109 11.25% 86.67%

28 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (28): Finnish netminder Karri Ramo might well be Tampa’s best short-term option between the pipes, but the longterm answer is his fellow countryman, Riku Helenius, the 15th overall selection in 2006.

15–18–3 33 104 118 18.37% 84.72%

29 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (29): Balanced production remains elusive for the Caps, who are relying far too heavily upon Alexander Ovechkin. His 25 goals are by far the most on the team, with defenseman Mike Green coming in a distant second with eight.

13–19–4 30 92 108 15.19% 83.64%

30 LOS ANGELES KINGS (30): If the Kings continue their precipitous fall, it’s only a matter of time before GM Dean Lombardi starts trading veterans to add to the Kings’ burgeoning cupboard of top prospects.

12–23–2 26 97 123 17.42% 81.33%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.