This weekend, the hockey world will descend on Grand Forks, N.D., and Thief River Falls, Minn., for the World Junior Championships. Much like NCAA Basketball’s March Madness, this tournament provides an opportunity for scouts and fans alike to watch the sport’s finest prospects under the age of 20. For the undrafted 17- and 18-year-olds among them, the tournament is a chance to improve their draft position substantially with an impressive performance.

In each of the past two years, a goaltender has stolen the show and parlayed the success into a high first-round draft selection. In 2003, Marc-Andre Fleury carried Team Canada to a silver medal, and his stellar play led the Penguins to select him first overall. Last year, Alvaro Montoya backstopped Team USA to a gold medal over Fleury’s Canadian team, a performance that convinced the Rangers to select him with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

The possibility that the NHL labor dispute may put the 2005 entry draft on hold will, of course, be at the back of many minds. But the lockout will be a boon to the WJC in many ways.

The Americans, whose gold medal in 2004 was their first in the tournament’s 31-year history, will defend their title on home ice under the glare of a spotlight never before shined upon this tournament. NHL coaches, scouts, and general managers with plenty of free time will be out in force. Several 19-year-old stars who have already been drafted by NHL teams and would otherwise be playing professionally – including 2004 no. 1 pick Alexander Ovechkin – will significantly raise the level of play. And in a first for the world juniors, each of Team USA’s games will be aired on ESPN.

Montoya returns between the pipes for the American squad this year, and will get an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to handle the pressure he’ll face when he arrives on Broadway. He is an extremely athletic netminder, and often resembles his childhood hero, Ed Belfour, who also began his career relying on reflexes before developing into one of the finest positional goalies in the NHL. Though he has not posted particularly gaudy stats this year, Montoya was named the Michigan Wolverines’ MVP last season largely due to his ability to make big saves at the most critical moments.

Aside from Montoya, the American team is weaker this year, largely due to the absence of Devils prospect (and 2004 Tournament MVP) Zach Parise. Coach Scott Sandelin will instead look to Patrick O’Sullivan, Drew Stafford, and Robbie Schremp to lead the offensive charge. Chris Bourque – son of NHL legend Ray – will also chip in offensively. A forward by trade, Bourque is rapidly becoming an exceptional power play quarterback for Boston University, and he could see some time on the point for Team USA.

If they are to return to the Finals, Montoya and company will have to get past some stiff competition. In Saturday night’s opener, Ovechkin will lead Russia against the Americans. The 18 year-old Capitals prospect represented Russia in the World Cup this past summer, and proved that he has the talent to dominate at the NHL level. Competing against the world’s finest players, Ovechkin showed a rare combination of speed, slick puckhandling, and on-ice intelligence. The man drafted just below him this year, Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin, should also provide offensive fireworks.

The Americans will then play two easier matches against Switzerland and Belarus before battling the Czech Republic in their final game of the preliminary round. Rostislav Olesz, an extremely skilled playmaker, led the Czech team with eight points in last year’s tournament, and should be even better this year. Olesz was the victim of a highlight-reel hit from Canadian blueliner Dion Phaneuf last year, and the resulting concussion caused him to slip a bit in the draft – Olesz was picked seventh by the Florida Panthers.

If the tournament goes as expected, Team USA will once again battle Team Canada for the gold. Considered the oddon favorites to win the event, the Canadians boast a deep roster that includes 12 returning players, including the player touted as hockey’s finest prospect since Mario Lemieux.

Sidney Crosby made his debut on the world stage in last year’s tournament at the age of 16.The phenom did not play a big role then, but this year he is expected to lead Canada’s offensive charge. Playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Crosby has the hallmarks of a superstar-in-themaking: In 35 games with the Rimouski Oceanic (Vincent Lecavalier’s former team), Crosby has tallied a Gretzky-like 74 points and +26 rating.

Unfortunately for Crosby, his NHL arrival could be put on hold due to the league’s labor dispute. If the 2004-05 season is indeed canceled and the 2005 draft also put on hold, Crosby’s coming-out party will lose a great deal of its luster.

Crosby will have the benefit of a tremendous supporting cast in the WJC, including forward Patrice Bergeron, who played the entire 2003-04 season with the Boston Bruins. Phaneuf returns to anchor the blue line, providing his trademark hits along with a much-improved offensive game. He has scored 21 points in 22 games for the Red Deer Rebels this year, and is considered to be perhaps the finest defensive prospect in the world.

If the Canadian team has a weakness, it’s between the pipes, where Jeff Glass and Rejean Beauchemin have replaced Fleury. Neither netminder has anywhere near the pedigree of Montoya, and this could ultimately prove to be their undoing.

Expect this tournament to feature exciting hockey reminiscent of the Olympics prior to the days of the “Dream Teams.” Each squad is stocked with talented youngsters hoping to prove themselves on the world stage, so the pace will be furious and the energy level will be exceptionally high. For hockey fans suffering from withdrawal while the NHL and NHLPA play out their ugly boardroom battle, the World Junior Championships should provide a much-needed breath of fresh air.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor-in-chief of INSIDE HOCKEY (insidehockey.com).