ICE HOCKEY Preview: World Junior Champs now underway in Vancouver

The 43rd edition of the IIHF World Junior (U-20) Championships got started on Wednesday in Vancouver and Victoria (CAN), with 10 teams vying for the title and Canada as defending champion.

The teams are now in round-robin play in two pools:

Pool A: Canada, Russia, Czech Rep., Switzerland, Denmark
(at Rogers Arena/Vancouver)

Pool B: Sweden, United States, Finland, Slovakia, Kazakhstan
(at Save-on-Food Memorial Centre/Victoria)

Pool play will continue through 31 December, with quarterfinals beginning on 2 January, semis on 4 January and medal matches on 5 January.

The Canadians are the all-time winners in the tournament, with 17 titles. Russia has four, but the Soviet Union won nine, for a total of 13 combined. Finland and the U.S. have each won four times, with the U.S. having recent success with titles in 2010-13-17. Sweden won the silver medal last year, with the U.S. third.

No team has repeated as champion since the Canadians won five straight from 2005-09.

Look for match scores and standings here.