The preliminary round at the 2018 World Junior Championship in Buffalo came to a close on Sunday, and now the real fun begins.The tables have been set with Canada and Sweden grabbing top spots in their respective groups. The United States finished just behind Canada in Group A and will have a tougher road to the gold medal Sheldrick Redwine Jersey game if they hope to repeat as champions at the annual U-20 tournament. That road begins with a quarterfinal matchup against Ru sia on Tuesday night.If you mi sed any or all of the action from the opening round, don't worry -- we've got you covered. Now is a great time to jump onboard for one of the most fun hockey events of the year, but here's what you need to know from the preliminary round that was.How did the teams finish the preliminary round?(Records are displayed in this format: W-OTW-OTL-L)Group ACanada, 3-0-1-0United States, 2-1-0-1Finland, 2-0-0-2Slovakia, 2-0-0-2Denmark, 0-0-0-4Group BSweden, 3-1-0-0Czech Republic, 3-0-0-1Ru sia, 2-0-1-1Switzerland, 1-0-0-3Belarus, 0-0-0-4Which NHL prospects came up big in the prelims?USA forward ( ) was the best player in the opening round of the tournament, leading all players with nine points (four goals, five a sists) in the four preliminary games. The Americans' forward group was a little shaky as a NFL New York Jets Jersey whole, but they were carried by strong performances from their stars, and no star was brighter than Mittelstadt. The 19-year-old Mittelstadt has excellent vision and creativity with the puck on his stick and he's great at creating space to help facilitate offense. Every now and then he can do it all by himself, too. Casey Mittelstadt with an incredible effort to tie it 2-2 Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Also impre sive in the preliminary round were American forwards Brady Tkachuk (2018 eligible) and ( ). Tkachuk had six points (two goals, four a sists) and was an undeniable presence on the ice. He's got a very high motor and fiercely competes on every shift. He's got a great combination of skill, speed, size and toughne s that will make him a top pick in this summer's NHL Draft. Brady Tkachuk gets USA on the board Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Wheeeeeels Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) It'd be impo sible to have a list of impre sive forwards without Sweden's ( ), who had four goals and six points in the preliminary round. He also had arguably the most memorable highlight of the opening round with this sick display against Switzerland. Canucks Top Prospect Elias Petter son with a highlight-reel goal vs Switzerland at the World Juniors. Robert Sderlind (@HockeyWebCast) The 19-year-old Petter son has an impre sive offensive game already and is one of those players who looks to be dangerous from just about anywhere on the ice. He's got excellent finishing ability and has been a weapon for Sweden. What shot from Canucks prospect Elias Petter son Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Sweden had several players come up big for them at points during the opening round, including ( ), who led all players with five goals in the prelims. Alex Nylander (Buffalo Sabres) only had one goal, but he did record six a sists. Plus, his one goal was a beauty. Another look at Nylanders goal Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) On Sweden's defensive end, they got great performances from their blue line stud in Rasmus Dahlin (2018 eligible). The 17-year-old Dahlin, who is expected to be the top pick in this summer's draft, had five a sists and might have been the best defenseman in the preliminary round. Also impre sive Zane Lewis Jersey on Sweden's great blue line unit were ( ) and ( ). (St. Louis ) was the standout for Ru sia in the preliminary round. He's showed excellent ability and creativity in the offensive end and netted four goals. Kostin was selected with the first-round pick that the traded as part of their package to acquire last summer. Klim Kostin scores again and its 5-1 Ru sia Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Ru sia also got a very good opening round from Andrei Svechnikov (2018 eligible), who recorded five a sists through the first four games.For the Czech Republic, both ( ) and Filip Zadina (2018 eligible) were great playing alongside each other in the opening round. Necas really showcased Michael Carter II Jersey his vision and creativity as a playmaker, and Zadina has pretty great at creating chances for himself and finishing on those opportunities. He had three goals in the opening round. Great pa s from Martin Necas sets up Filip Zadina Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) I'd be remi s if I didn't mention this very disrespectful goal from Canada's (St. Louis Blues). My goodne s Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) Canada got solid performances from several players in the prelims -- including ( ), ( ), ( ) and ( ) -- but their true standout may have honestly been goaltender ( ). The 19-year-old had a .940 save-percentage through three starts. He wasn't able to steal a game in the shootout lo s to the United States, but Hart managed to keep his team in the game as the Americans stormed back late. He may not be super flashy, but he's technically sound and seems to keep his composure in high-pre sure situations and that's what you like to see from a young goalie.What happens next in the World Juniors?The medal round (and relegation portion) kicks off on Tuesday in Buffalo. The United States will have a tough road (one that could po sibly John Riggins Jersey include Ru sia, Sweden and Canada) if they hope to repeat as gold medalists for the first time in program history, so now is when the real test begins. The 2018 World Juniors medal round runs through this week, with the tournament concluding with medal games on Friday. Here's a complete rundown of the next wave of games:Tuesday, Jan. 2 (Quarterfinals)Finland vs. Czech Republic, 12 p.m. (NHL Network, TSN 1/3/4/5)Denmark vs. Belarus, 2 p.m. (Relegation)Canada vs. Switzerland, 4 p.m. (NHL Network, TSN 1/4/5)Sweden vs. Slovakia, 6 p.m. (TSN3)United States vs. Ru sia, 8 p.m. (NHL Network, TSN1/4/5)Thursday, Jan. 4 (Semifinals)Denmark vs. Belarus, 12 p.m. (Relegation)TBD vs. TBD, 4 p.m.TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m.Friday, Jan. 5 (Finals)Denmark vs. Belarus, 12 p.m. (Relegation)Bronze medal game: TBD vs. TBD, 4 p.m.Gold medal game: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m.
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