2018 World Juniors Report (Day 5)
Day 5 in the World Juniors was a day where plenty was figured out as some teams ended their tournament and others solidified their spots.
The Canadians officially took Group A with a big win over Denmark while Finland took a win to make their final game in Day 6 an important one against the USA.
The Czechs kept pace in their fight for the group lead while the Swedes got a little closer to taking the group.
There is still plenty to play for in the final day of the tournament but for a couple teams, things are not looking great.
Although the top teams are all preparing for their playoff appearances and trying to figure out who they will be playing, two teams are looking at the worst part of the bracket.
Both Denmark and Belarus are not having a great tournament this year without a win for either team and only Denmark getting a chance to gain three points.
For the Belarussians, the tournament is over and they are guaranteed to enter the part of the tournament they never wanted to enter.
They came into the tournament knowing that the possibility of playing relegation was pretty high for their team.
It always has been as the Belarussians are a team that tends to sit right in between the two tiers of this tournament.
They aren’t good enough to compete with the best teams in the tournament but are too good for that second tier of teams.
Every tournament they enter they have a clear goal in mind, to try to stay in the top level of the tournament.
They never look at it trying to take out the top teams, although surprises have happened in the past, but rather just trying to stay among the best in the world.
It is a tough task for them and more often than not they can’t get the job done entering relegation and being sent to the second tier of the tournament.
This year was no different as they tried to come in and launch at least one surprise on a team to make things interesting.
They couldn’t get that surprise and ended their tournament without a win forcing them into the relegation round where they will need to fight for their lives in the top tier.
The team they will face is still a little up in the air as the Danes are looking like a good bet to join them in the relegation round but they do have a shot at getting out.
They will take on the Slovakians in the final game of their tournament and a win could help them climb out of the basement.
If they can pull off the win they will ensure their spot among the best in the world for another year while the Slovakians will be forced to sit in the relegation round.
Much like the Belarussians, the Danes are a team that tends to sit right on the edge of the two tiers of tournaments.
They rarely find themselves in the top tournament for a very long time but this year they have a chance to guarantee their spot.
Although they have not looked great against the top teams and won’t likely go very far into the playoffs if they make it, staying in the top tier was always the goal.
The Slovakians have had a bit more of a history in the tournament though as they are not used to relegation play every year.
They are a team that tends to challenge the top teams every now and then, keeping them in the middle of the pack.
Heading to relegation would be an issue for this program as they were expecting to make the playoffs and not having to play in relegation.
Whoever does end up in the bottom after the final day will head into a game against Belarus that will be just as important for both teams as a gold medal.
Staying in the top tier is a big boost for any of these teams as they get to be more visible and get to say they are among the best.
Moving up and down helps nobody as young players are not going to get excited about playing the second tier tournament.
They want to be in the top tier and for both of the programs in relegation, it is extremely important to stay in the top tier.
They will get the chance as the best-of-three series gives both teams more than enough chances to prove they belong.
For the teams that loses it will be a year of obscurity playing in the second tier next year and a failure on a part of the team organizers.
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