The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship Tournament is officially here . . . again! The tournament usually kicks off the day after Christmas and runs until the new year. But due to the Omicron COVID-19 variant spreading like wildfire around the winter holidays, the WJC was cancelled. Now they are starting it all over, and the rescheduled tournament will run from August 9th to the 20th.

There are a few other differences aside from the weather outside (currently 78 degrees here in Northern Illinois).

First, any players that were eligible in December 2021 remain eligible for the August dates. It's usually a U-20 tournament, but there will be a few players suiting up for their countries who have aged out since December. After all, nothing about COVID-time is usual.

Another difference is that players are coming into the competition right from their off-season training. Of course, it usually falls right in the middle of their respective seasons - when they're more likely to be in game-shape and up to game-speed. So, the hockey may look a bit different out of the gate. That isn't a guarantee, but it's something to keep in mind if your team starts slow. All of these teams held a camp before jumping into games, but there's a difference between scrimmages and meaningful games. They may not be as polished.

Since the tournament is taking place before the season kicks off, some eligible players have elected to skip the competition in favor of getting ready for their NHL team’s training camps. Players who have a real shot of making it to the show (or already have a guaranteed spot - i.e. Owen Power) aren't going to risk injury so close to Training Camp and NHL preseason.

We all remember Kirby Dach breaking his wrist in pre-tournament competition and missing most of the 2020-21 shortened season with the Blackhawks.

So, some countries are bringing slightly different rosters into August than they had set in December. On the Blackhawks side, Drew Commesso won't be in net for Team USA and Ethan Del Mastro has been added to Team Canada.

Maybe the most interesting storyline overall will be the play of Connor Bedard - the projected 1st overall draft pick in 2023. Perhaps he is an unofficial Chicago Blackhawks prospect taking part in this tournament . . . We know that's what the organization is hoping for.

As for the official prospects, Blackhawks fans should definitely be watching Team USA. Not only are they looking to defend their 2021 Gold Medal, but the roster features three Blackhawks prospects - Landon Slaggert (the only returning Hawks prospect from the Gold Medal team), Wyatt Kaiser, and Dominic James.

Along with Team USA, Team Sweden has Victor Stjernborg and Team Canada has Ethan Del Mastro.

Having real hockey to watch during the NHL offseason is awesome. It's even better when we have a reason to tune in and care about the games.

So, here's a look at our guys!

Team USA

Landon Slaggert - 20 years old, LW/C, 6'0"
2020 3rd Round Pick (CHI) - 79th Overall

As mentioned above, Landon Slaggert is the only Blackhawks prospect from the Gold Medal team returning to competition for Team USA. In his quest to defend his trophy, he's been given the Alternate Captain ("A") title.

In the 2021 Tournament, I was on "Landon Slaggert Point Watch" so we could celebrate when our boy got on the scoresheet. Despite being involved in the play all over the ice and being a role player for USA, he didn't register a single point.

Before the 2022 tournament was cancelled and then rescheduled, he played one game and scored a goal. So, it looked like "Landon Slaggert Point Watch" was officially over. COVID had other ideas. It's officially back on!

He's a hardworking, grinding, physically strong role player for USA who can also chip in some offense. Don't be surprised to see him get special teams minutes. He should definitely be on the penalty kill, but let's hope for some power play time to get the kid some points!

Outside of tournament action, Landon Slaggert is entering his third year at the University of Notre Dame. In the 2020-21 season, he played 25 games scoring 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points. In 2021-22, he played 40 games and scored 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points.

Wyatt Kaiser - 20 years old, D, 6'0"
2020 3rd Round Pick (CHI) - 81st Overall

Wyatt Kaiser technically made his U-20 WJC debut in December. Whether that counts or not is up for debate. Either way, the 2022 WJC is his first. He registered one assist in USA's one game before the cancellation. The young defenseman has really marched his way up the prospect ranks within the organization. With decent speed and the ability to remain calm and poised under pressure, this could be a big tournament for Kaiser to really show off his game.

Outside of the tournament, Wyatt Kaiser is entering his third season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he won the NCHC Tournament in 2021-22. For individual stats, he registered 10 assists through 28 games in the 2020-21 season. In the 2021-22 season, he played 34 games and scored 2 goals and 17 assists for 19 points.

Dominic James - 20 years old, LW/C, 5'9"
2022 6th Round Pick - 173rd Overall

Dominic James just became part of the Blackhawks organization a few short weeks ago. And now he is getting set to make his WJC debut. What an exciting summer for the kid! He fits the mould for depth players that the Blackhawks have been looking to add to the system as of late. He's a hardworking defensively-responsible forward who isn't afraid to play the body despite not being the biggest guy on the ice.

Outside of the tournament, Dominic James is heading into his second year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In the 2021-22 season, he played 39 games scoring 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points.

Team Canada

Ethan Del Mastro - 19 years old, D, 6'4"
2021 4th Round Pick - 105th Overall

Ethan Del Mastro is one of the players who benefitted from the tournament being rescheduled. He was an addition to the Team Canada roster in the last week. This is his first WJC action. After a nice season for him individually, it'll be nice to see what he can do with his mobility and long reach on the international stage.

Outside of tournament action, Ethan Del Mastro is going into his third season with the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL. In the 2019-20 season, he played 57 games and registered 7 assists. COVID cancelled his 2020-21 season. But in 2021-22 he showed a lot of progression playing 68 games and scoring 7 goals and 41 assists for 48 points.

Team Sweden

Victor Stjernborg - 19 years old, C/LW, 5'10"
2021 4th Round Pick - 108th Overall

Suiting up for Team Sweden is Victor Stjernborg. It's the 19-year-old's first WJC action after being selected in the 4th round (108th overall) of the 2021 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He's a decent two-way forward with good speed. In the last two season in the SHL with Växjö, Stjernborg has registered 2 goals and 4 assists in 45 games.

All of the round robin games can be found on NHL Network in the States. If you want to watch these Blackhawks Prospects in tournament action, here's the round robin schedule for USA, Sweden, and Canada.

Team USA

• August 9 vs Germany 9:00pm (NHLN)

• August 11 vs Switzerland 9:00pm (NHLN)

• August 13 vs Austria vs Austria 1:00pm (NHLN)

• August 14 vs Sweden 9:00pm (NHL)

Team Sweden

• August 10 vs Switzerland 1:00pm (NHLN)

• August 12 vs Austria 1:00pm (NHLN)

• August 14 vs USA 9:00pm (NHLN)

• August 15 vs Germany 9:00pm (NHLN)

Team Canada

• August 10 vs Latvia 5:00pm (NHLN)

• August 11 vs Slovakia 5:00 pm (NHLN)

• August 13 vs Czechia 5:00pm (NHLN)

• August 15 vs Finland 5:00pm (NHLN)

*All times are in Central time

Good luck to all of the players competing in the tournament!