If you like to watch prospects then the annual world junior Championship tournament is about as good as it gets. the teams are made up of recently drafted players and the young 'uns who will be getting drafted in the next two years. The tournament is a huge deal in Canada but it hasn't gotten a lot of coverage in the US.  Well, if you have the NHL Network you can watch the playoff rounds this year, beginning on Jan. 2. The tournament is in the Czech Republic this year, so you might have to skip work to catch the 10 am and 2 pm starts for the quarters and semis, but the medal games are on the weekend. NHL.com should have the full schedule up shortly.

Thrashers prospects Riley Holzapfel (2nd round, 43rd overall in 2006) and Niclas Lucenius (4th round, 115th overall in 2007) are both playing in the tournament, so keep an eye on them. Arturs Kulda (7th round, 200th overall in 2006) played for Latvia in the lower tier and helped his team earn the right to compete with the big guns next year.

Look for a preview article on our guys in the next few days from a writer who's actually going to the tournament.