World Junior Championship 2014: Preview and Ultimate Guide

ROSTERS, SCHEDULES, PREVIEWS, AND PREDICTIONS

 Oh, it's the most wonderful time of the year! With the holiday season almost over, we're about to unwrap Malmö, Sweden chasing gold medals and national pride.
one of the greatest gifts of all: World Junior hockey. Yes, it's the same present every year, like socks from grandma, but unlike those socks, the IIHF's annual tournament manages to maintain enough charm to keep us elated year after year. This year will likely be no different, as the best junior age hockey talent on Earth will be in
 Here we've compiled every team's roster, round robin schedule, and a preview of what to expect from them over the next two weeks in Sweden.
 There's two groups with five teams each, and it's worth mentioning that this is the first time that the top FOUR teams from both groups will advance to a single-elimination quarterfinal. Previously, only the top three countries would advance and the top team from the group would have a first round bye. Now, every squad will have to win three straight games with their championship dreams on the line if they want to go back home with gold around their necks.
 Unlike the NHL, overtime and shootout wins are scored differently than regulation wins. A victory in regulation is worth three points, an overtime/shootout victory worth two points, an OT/shootout loss only one point, and, of course, a loss in regulation gets you a big fat goose egg towards the group standings.
 Now that those technicalities are out of the way, we can finally take a look at the teams that will be competing against each other.

LIVE 2013 NHL Entry Draft Blog

 This blog will be updated live during the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in Newark, New Jersey. Every selection, trade, or transaction of any kind will be updated instantly as it is announced and posted to this page. Draft-day transactions will be written in italics and highlighted in yellow.) Every draft pick will also be accompanied by a brief description of each prospect, so you can have a better understanding of what your favorite team just added to its system.

Final 2013 Cumulative Draft Rankings

 With the 2013 NHL Entry Draft four days away, The Hart of Hockey is happy to release its final cumulative rankings for the season.

 As usual, TSN analysts Bob McKenzie and Craig Button's rankings are represented, as well as the International Scouting Services' (ISS). Just like last year, The Hockey News (THN) has joined the fold for the final rankings, too. For the first time, however, independent scouting publications Red Line Report (RLR) and McKeen's Hockey will be thrown in, as well. Those six entities will have their final rankings averaged for every player to get The Hart of Hockey's cumulative rank. In the event of a tie score, NHL Central Scouting (CS) will be used as the tiebreaker.

 Also, our rankings list 65 prospects for the first time.

 It's worth noting that this is not a mock draft, but more-or-less an indicator of who "the next best prospect" is according to several different scouting services. Since just about all NHL general managers draft under a "next best prospect available" policy, this list becomes an effective indicator of where a player will go on Sunday in Newark.

It Ain't Easy Bein' Bryzy

 Contrary to what Paul Holmgren had told the media for months, the Philadelphia Flyers GM released a statement Tuesday saying his team will buyout the remainder of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov's contract after two seasons with the club.
 This is the second and final compliance buyout Holmgren will use (the other being Danny Briere,) which
means the Flyers will not be charged against the salary cap for the remainder of his contract, unlike a regular buyout would.

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

 Holmgren called the move "a difficult business decision" in the release on the Flyers' website, and no wonder. This move is the biggest contract buyout in NHL history according to the great CapGeek.com, and guarantees that Philly will pay Bryz a little over $1.6 million a year for the next 14 years.
 Bryzgalov, usually a very outspoken person despite an obvious language barrier, didn't have much to say about the team's decision, telling three Philadelphia beat writers on speaker phone, "Congratulations, you guys win," before hanging up and refusing to talk to them any further.
 Oh, Bryz.
 Bryzgalov will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5th now, making this summer's offseason much more interesting. Before we take a look into what the future holds for Mr. Universe, let's take a long, well-deserved look back on all the magical moments Bryzgalov gave us during his short tenure as the starting goalie in Philadelphia.

Remember Tim Thomas?

POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS FOR POPPA BEAR

 One of the more bizarre stories of the offseason that predated lockout shenanigans was goalie Tim Thomas choosing to sit out the last season of his contract with the Boston Bruins. It's hard to blame Thomas, 39, for wanting to spend more time with his family, especially with looming uncertainty surrounding the status of the upcoming season, but it didn't make it any less peculiar of a decision. Now, with the Bruins in a best-of-three series for the Stanley Cup with stellar goaltending from Tuukka Rask, it is easy to forget that Thomas ditched the only franchise to really give him a legitimate chance as a starter in the NHL.

Tim Thomas wrastles in front with the Great Eight.
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

 At the time of his departure, though, Thomas pointed out that this was not a retirement, and he had every intention of returning to hockey in 2013-14. Whether or not he sticks to that or not has yet to be seen, but if he does, he will be an unrestricted free agent. So with Poppa Bear Thomas potentially on the market this summer, what teams would be interested in his adding his services?