Ducks to be well represented at world junior hockey championships

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The Ducks will have two prospects on Team USA and seven prospects overall participating in the world junior championships, which begin Saturday in Saskatoon and Regina, Canada.

Defenseman Jake Gardiner of the University of Wisconsin, the Ducks’ first-round pick and 17th overall in the 2008 entry draft, and center Kyle Palmieri of Notre Dame, the 26th pick in 2009, were chosen for the U.S. team on Wednesday.

Previously named to their respective national teams were center Brandon McMillan of Canada, chosen 85th in 2008; defenseman Sami Vatanen of Finland, picked 106th in June; goaltender Igor Bobkov of Russia, chosen 76th in June; center Radoslav Illo of Slovakia, chosen 136th in June; and defenseman Luca Sbisa of Switzerland, who began this season with the Ducks but was returned to his junior team in Lethbridge, Canada.

The world junior tournament is a terrific preview of players who will be wearing NHL uniforms soon and for a long time to come. It’s a huge deal in Canada, and the NHL network will show 16 games, all in high definition.

The schedule (all Pacific times):

Saturday
Latvia vs. Canada, 1 p.m.
Czech Republic vs. Sweden, 3 p.m.
Slovakia vs. USA, 5 p.m.

Sunday
USA vs. Switzerland, 1 p.m.
Czech Republic vs. Finland, 3 p.m.

Monday
Canada vs. Switzerland, 1 p.m.

Tuesday
Latvia vs. USA, 1 p.m.
Sweden vs. Russia, 3 p.m.
Canada vs. Slovakia, 5 p.m.

Dec. 31
USA vs. Canada 5 p.m.

Jan. 2
Quarterfinal No. 1, 2 p.m.
Quarterfinal No. 2, 6 p.m.

Jan. 3
Semifinal No. 1, 2 p.m.
Semifinal No. 2, 6 p.m.

Jan. 5
Bronze medal game, 1 p.m.
Gold medal game, 5 p.m.

-- Helene Elliott