Great Britain vs. Canada. Shape of the Teams
There will be an exciting opening-round matchup in the IIHF World Championship as the defending champions, Canada, will take on Great Britain. Great Britain, viewed as a team Canada should beat with ease, will do everything they can to try to ruin things for the defending champion squad and pull off an upset in Round 1.
Canada captured gold in two of the last four tournaments and is looking for a third win in five years, posing one of the best rosters in the entire tournament.
Great Britain has participated in three of the last four Worlds tournaments, a big improvement on where they were as a hockey program in recent years.
Great Britain vs. Canada Prediction
- Pick: Canada -7.5
- Odds: +114
In a game like this, it’s impossible not to back Canada. Starting things off, Canada will feature rookie sensation Connor Bedard on the ice, the expected Calder Trophy winner. Dylan Cozen and Andrew Mangiapane should also be a reason for the success the team finds. Mangiapane won the Worlds MVP in 2021, giving him confidence as he heads back to try to win the tournament with Canada.
When you factor in all of the talent they have on NHL rosters, Canada seems unbeatable. They added two veterans from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel, giving them an even bigger edge in this game. The No. 1 projected pick, Macklin Celebrini, and the No. 3 overall pick in 2023, Adam Fantilli, will prove challenging for any team to handle.
There are many other NHL-caliber players on the roster, and if they can defend the puck the way people expect them to, Canada should dominate this game.
While the competitive nature of these tournaments can bring unexpected twists, Canada seems off to a comfortable victory here.
Great Britain vs. Canada Betting Tip
- Pick: Connor Bedard Over on Points
- Odds: TBD (Tonybet)
Seemingly, the best bet for the IIHF World Championships is to follow Connor Bedard’s point tally every step of the way. The 18-year-old rookie sensation finished the season with 22 goals and dishing out 39 assists, racking up a total of 61 points for the Chicago Blackhawks. Labelled “The Future of Hockey,” he played in 68 games and was a major part in every single one of them.
The Chicago Blackhawks’ absence from the Stanley Cup playoffs prompted Connor Bedard to join Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
Against much lesser talent this time around against Great Britain, this should be a good time for him to continue doing what he did in the NHL in his rookie season, and build confidence as he gets ready for his sophomore season.
Bedard is no stranger to the taste of gold, having captured back-to-back World Junior Championship titles with Canada in 2022 and 2023 as one of the team’s standout players.
Surrounded by a talented Canadian roster that can make plays and capitalize on his feeds, Bedard should be able to control the offensive tempo and get whatever he wants.
Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting.
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