Russia is coming off of a disappointing fifth place finish in last year’s World Junior Hockey Championship after a 4-2 loss to the United States in the quarterfinal.
Last year’s non-medal finish broke a seven-year medal streak for Russia that started in 2011 and included four gold medal games, going 1-3 in those appearances. It should be noted, that the last time that Russia finished outside of the medals, they won the tournament the next year.
Canadiens prospect Alexander Romanov will be a player that many will be intrigued by. Romanov was a surprising second-round pick by the team and took part in the Russia-Canada series earlier in the year.