Those are all good questions, and as I tend to do for almost every World Junior tournament, I had predicted this team would win gold and thought it had a roster that could roll over opponents like we’re accustomed to. But that was wrong, and that’s on me for misevaluating the team.

The fingers are wagging every which way after Canada’s 4-3 loss to Czechia in the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa on Thursday, a second debilitating quarterfinal elimination in as many years for the perennial contenders and frequent favourites.

Canada was eliminated by Czechia in the quarterfinals of the world junior hockey championship for the second straight year. The country failed to finish in the top-4 at the event in consecutive years for the first time since the early 1980s.

The United States won back-to-back gold medals for the first time and host Canada lost for the second year in a row in the quarterfinals.

Buffalo Sabres prospects Adam Kleber and Brodie Ziemer helped the United States capture the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship with a 4-3 overtime victory over Finland on Sunday.

The Utah Hockey Club was well-represented at hockey’s biggest junior tournament. Here’s how its prospects fared.