It’s getting to be an annual rite of passage that a player or players from the Frolunda Indians are one of the more dominant of the tournament. Over the past four years, such luminaries as Finn Artturi Lehkonen and Swedes Christoffer Ehn, Anton Blidh, Jacob Larsson, Carl Grundström, Rasmus Dahlin and Liam Andersson played in the world’s top junior hockey tournament.

This year in Vancouver and Victoria could be no exception, with forward Samuel Fagemo and defenceman Filip Westerlund wearing Swedish colours. Westerlund is returning from last year’s silver-medal team, while 18-year-old Fagemo has had a breakout season in the SHL and has eight points in eight CHL games, so he’ll be expected to contribute offensively for Sweden. Otherwise, other players on the Swedish roster who have played in the CHL this season include Djurgården Stockholm defenceman Emil Bemström and Växjö Lakers forward Pontus Holmberg.

The Finns don’t have any teams remaining in the CHL but their legacy is still being felt at the international junior level. Two key players in Kärpät Oulu’s run to the Quarter-Finals are centres Aleksi Heponiemi and Rasmus Kupari. Others include Sami Moilanen and Toni Utanen of Tappara Tampere, Kaapo Kakko and Olli Kaskinen of TPS Turku and Anton Lundell of IFK Helsinki.

Likewise, there are no Swiss teams remaining in the CHL, but three players from their World Junior roster did play in the CHL this season: Sven Leuenberger of EV Zug and Tim Berni and Justin Sigrist of ZSC Lions Zurich. As well, six players from the Czech roster played in the CHL this season: Karel Plašek, Dalimil Mikyska and goalie Lukáš Dostal of Kometa Brno, Jakub Pour and David Kvasnička, and Jan Hladonik of Oceláři Třinec.

The Germans aren’t in the elite group of the World Junior Championship this season, but they will be next year thanks to winning Division I, Group A on home ice in Füssen. That victory came thanks in part to an eight-point performance from St. Louis Blues’ first-round draft pick Dominik Bokk of Växjö, who will be eligible to play again in next year’s tournament. Other members of the German team who played in the CHL this season were Justin Schütz and Dennis Lobach of remaining Semi-Finalist Red Bull Munich.