Kyle Turris is one of the key players on a Canadian team trying for its fourth straight world junior title (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Sporting a scar under his nose and swelling near his right eye, a thrilled Jonathan Toews recalls the 10-day run with his Canadian junior hockey teammates shortly after their gold-medal victory in Leksand, Sweden, in January.

"We worked so hard from Day 1," said Toews, Canada's leading scorer at the 2007 world tournament with seven points in six games. "The scars I will have with me, and this is something I will remember the rest of my life."

A year later, Toews is putting together a memorable rookie season in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks. Washington Capitals draft pick Karl Alzner and Boston Bruins prospect Brad Marchand are the only returning members to Team Canada, which begins its quest for a fourth consecutive gold on Dec. 26 against the host Czech Republic in Pardubice (2 p.m. ET).

Of the 22 players, 16 were members of the Canadian team that fashioned a 7-0-1 record against Russia in the summer's Super Series.

Alzner, who has 19 points in 33 games with the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen this season, is Canada's captain. He will be expected to lead the team along with forward John Tavares, who left the Oshawa Generals for the Canadian tryouts leading the Ontario Hockey League in scoring with 68 points in 30 games.

Renowned for its gritty play and heart, this year's Canadian squad is considered the quickest in the past six years. The defence, which includes four 18-year-olds, will have a tough act to follow. Canada allowed just six goals against at the 2006 tournament and eight last year.

"Last year, the defence were outstanding, but it took a group of five on the ice plus your goaltender to defend,'' said returning coach Craig Hartsburg. "We feel we've got a lot of speed and we can put a lot of pressure on people up ice.

"We're not just going to sit back and defend. We want to make it very hard on the opposition every shift because we're going to outwork them within our system."

The Canadian roster is the fifth youngest of the last 25 years (with 10 players who are 18 or under) and lacks experience with five players undrafted to the NHL. Jonathan Bernier of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Lewiston Maineiacs and Steve Mason (London, OHL) are the goaltenders.

Canada, which has won gold only once in Europe the past 10 years, will be joined in Group A by the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia and Denmark. Group B consists of 2007 silver medallists Russia, the United States, Finland, Switzerland and Kazakhstan.

The gold-medal game is Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. ET and is preceded by the bronze-medal contest (10 a.m. ET).

The 2009 world juniors will be held in Ottawa.

Below is a rundown of this year's 10 participating countries:

THE FAVOURITES

High-scoring Canadian forward John Tavares has 68 points in 30 OHL games this season. (Larry MacDougal/Canadian Press)

Canada
2007 result: (4-0-0, first in Group A in preliminary round, defeated Russia in gold-medal game)
Coach: Craig Hartsburg
Players to watch: G Jonathan Bernier, D Karl Alzner, D Drew Doughty, F John Tavares, F Kyle Turris, F Steven Stamkos
Outlook: The team to beat, considering it hasn't tasted defeat since Jan. 5, 2004, in a 4-3 loss to the United States in the gold-medal contest, a span of 18 games. Canada's strengths will be speed, a balanced attack and goaltending. The skilled Stamkos leads the OHL's Sarnia Sting with 30 goals and 51 points this season and is the front-runner to be selected first overall in next summer's NHL draft. Eleven different players scored goals for Canada in three pre-tournament games. Bernier, considered the future in goal for the Los Angeles Kings, had four starts in the NHL before he was returned to his junior team in Lewiston, where he has posted a 2.95 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 15 games. Defenceman Drew Doughty (Guelph, OHL) is solid at both ends of the ice (31 points in 30 games) and could stand out in the Czech Republic.

Russia
2007 result: (4-0-0, first in Group B in preliminary round, lost to Canada in gold-medal game)
Coach: Sergei Nemchinov
Players to watch: The Russians are coming off a better showing against Canadian Hockey League all-star teams after being manhandled by Canada in the Super Series. 2007 world junior all-star Alexei Cherepanov (five goals, eight points) will lead a Russian offence that led last year's tourney with 20 goals in the preliminary round. Known for highlight-reel goals, the New York Rangers prospect has scored 14 goals in 28 games this season in the ultra-defensive Russian Super League. Gayduchenko, a seventh-round pick of the Florida Panthers last summer, is expected to get the bulk of play in net after a strong showing against the CHL. Voinov anchors a blue-line that allowed only three goals in four preliminary-round games a year ago.

United States
2007 result: (2-2-0, third in Group A in preliminary round, defeated Sweden in bronze-medal game)
Coach: John Hynes
Players to watch: G Joe Palmer, D Jamie McBain, D Bobby Sanguinetti, F James van Riemsdyk, F Kyle Okposo, F Bill Sweatt
Outlook: The Americans return six players from last year's bronze medal-winning team, including van Riemsdyk, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft who led all New Hampshire freshmen with 15 points through Dec. 3. Experience shouldn't be an issue with 13 players having won gold medals in previous international play. The U.S. is hoping for a big showing from Okposo, who will join the NHL's New York Islanders in the new year after forgoing his final season at the University of Minnesota. McBain is the lone returning defenceman, while fellow blue-liner Sanguinetti (Brampton, OHL) is expected to quarterback the power play and log big minutes.

ON THE RISE

Czech Republic
2007 result: (2-2-0, third in Group B in preliminary round, fifth overall)
Coach: Miloslav Horava
Players to watch: G Michal Neuvirth, F Jakub Voracek, F David Kveton, F Michael Frolik
Outlook: Home-ice advantage might not apply this year, considering the Czechs finished fifth in the 1994 world juniors at home and seventh in 2002. They will have experience in goal in Neuvirth, the 34th overall pick by Washington in the 2006 NHL draft. The 19-year-old has posted a sparkling 2.12 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in eight games for the Ontario league Windsor Spitfires since a November trade from Plymouth, Mich. The Czechs will be solid up front with Quebec junior league stars Frolik and Voracek leading the way. Frolik, who finished 13th in world junior scoring last year, has good vision and speed. Voracek, 18, is a strong skater and will get his nose dirty but has been a playmaking extraordinaire for the Halifax Mooseheads with 34 assists in 25 games this season.

ON A SLIDE

Finland
2007 result: (2-2-0, second in Group B in preliminary round, sixth overall)
Coach: Jukka Rautakorpi
Players to watch: G Riku Helenius, F Juuso Puustinen, F Niclas Lucenius, F Joonas Lehtivuori
Outlook: It's hard to imagine the Finns improving on last year's finish, given only three players are back. Finland boasted three players among the top six in scoring last year — Mikko Lehtonen (first), Perttu Lindgren (third) and Oskar Osala (sixth) — but none of them will be on the ice in the Czech Republic. Goaltending could be a strength with Helenius, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, manning the net. He has an 8-7-5 record, 2.61 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in his rookie season with the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds. Puustinen, 19, possesses a scorer's touch and has 12 goals in 32 games with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL).

DARK HORSE

Sweden's Jhonas Enroth is one of the best goalies in his country's top pro league. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

Sweden
2007 result: (2-1-1, second in Group A in preliminary round, lost to United States in bronze-medal game)
Coach: Par Marts
Players to watch: G Jhonas Enroth, D Victor Hedman, F Patrik Berglund, F Mikael Backlund, F Oscar Moller, F Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi
Outlook: Led by Enroth, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick, the Swedes are expected to ice a formidable team this year. It's believed a strong showing in the Czech Republic could accelerate his move to the NHL. Enroth is among the leaders in the Swedish Elite League this season with a 2.26 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. Many eyes will be on the six-foot-five, 220-pound Hedman, who could challenge Canada's John Tavares as the top pick at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. At 17, he was getting regular ice time with MoDo of the SEL until suffering a serious concussion. Look for Berglund, a St. Louis Blues prospect, to shoulder the load offensively. Sweden hasn't got a medal at this tourney in 11 years.

PRETENDERS

Slovakia
2007 result: (0-4-0, fourth in Group A in preliminary round, eighth overall)
Coach: Stefan Mikes
Players to watch: D Vladimir Mihalik, F Juraj Mikus, F David Skokan, F Marek Bartanus
Outlook: It would be shocking if the Slovaks contended for a medal, but there are players who make them worth watching. Mikus finished 12th in world junior scoring last year in Sweden with five goals and six points in six games. The six-foot-one, 198-pounder, who possesses breakaway speed, is playing in Slovakia this season after scoring 71 points in 60 games for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec junior league. Marcinko, 19, has 11 goals and 22 points in 21 games for the Barrie Colts (OHL), while Skokan, 19, has 22 points and a minus-12 rating in 32 games for Rimouski (QMJHL). To prepare for the world juniors, Slovakia played a 22-game schedule against men's teams in the country's top league.

Switzerland
2007 result: (1-3-0, fourth in Group B in preliminary round, seventh overall)
Coach: Jakub Kolliker
Players to watch: G Lukas Flueler, D Yannick Weber, F Andrei Bykov, F Luca Cunti
Outlook: Ten players return from last year's squad that scored just six goals in the preliminary round. Weber, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick, will anchor the back end. The 19-year-old is second in scoring among OHL defencemen this season with 36 points, including 15 goals, in 31 games. Flueler, who posted a 3.55 goals-against average and .903 save percentage with the OHL's Ottawa 67's last season, is now blocking pucks in Zurich. Switzerland's lone medal at the world juniors was a bronze in 1998.

Kazakhstan
2007 result: (4-1-0, promoted from Division 1 after finishing first in Group B)
Coach: Oleg Bolyakin
Players to watch: F Yevgeny Gasnikov, F Nikita Ivanov, F Yakov Vorobyov
Outlook: Gasnikov will be the go-to player for the Kazaks, who return to the world juniors following a seven-year absence. He led the team at the Division 1 world juniors a year ago with six points in five games and scored the decisive goal in the clinching 3-2 victory over Norway. But Kazakhstan remains a long shot to finish among the top eight to avoid the relegation round.

Denmark
2007 result: (4-1-0, promoted from Division 1 after finishing first in Group A)
Coach: Ken Babey
Players to watch: D Philip Larsen, F Lars Eller, F Nicklas Hardt, F Mikkel Boedker
Outlook: Making their first appearance at the world under-20 championship, the Danes are expected to make their way to the relegation pool and back to Division 1 next year. However, Eller, 18, should raise some eyebrows. Drafted 13th overall by St. Louis in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the six-foot-one, 200-pound playmaker is lightning fast. At 5-11, 200 pounds, Boedker will also stand out on offence. He has drawn comparisons to speedy Buffalo Sabres winger Maxim Afinogenov.