Despite missing NHL stars, 'relentless' Canada ready to defend gold at world juniors

Alan Letang isn't focused on the absences.

It doesn't do Canada's head coach any good.

"We're missing what we miss," Letang said. "There's nothing we can do about that."

The under-20 men's national team will be without a handful of mouth-watering eligible NHLers when it opens the world junior hockey championship Tuesday against Finland.

Letang, however, is solely focused on the players in the fold as Canada looks to secure a third consecutive gold medal — and the tournament's first three-peat since the country topped the podium five straight times between 2005 and 2009.

"We've got the group we have," Letang continued. "If we win with four lines, there's nothing wrong with that. If you don't have the superstar, everyone gets to contribute.

Players in the pros skipping the annual holiday showcase include potential returnees Connor Bedard — who rewrote Canada's record book last year in Halifax and was always highly unlikely to play in 2024 — Adam Fantilli, Shane Wright and Kevin Korchinski, while Zach Benson could have also been in the mix.

Despite missing those big names, the group set to hit the ice in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Boxing Day still has plenty to offer.

"A team that's over the boards," Letang said. "A team by committee where everyone's chipping in."

Macklin Celebrini, the presumptive No. 1 pick at the upcoming NHL draft, leads the forward group along with Conor Geekie, Matthew Savoie and Owen Beck — a Montreal Canadiens prospect and the only returning player from 2023 — while the defence corps is anchored by Denton Mateychuk, Tristan Luneau and Maveric Lamoureux.

"You can't hide away from the fact that there's some guys that could be here that aren't, but we have a great group," said Celebrini, a 17-year-old