ST. LOUIS — The 2023 World Junior Championship kicked off on Monday with three St. Louis Blues prospects representing their country.
Jimmy Snuggerud (first round, 2022 draft) is representing the U.S., Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (third round, 2022 draft) with Finland and Simon Robertsson (third round, 2021 draft) with Sweden.
Snuggerud and Kaskimäki were both drafted by the Blues this summer, while Robertsson was drafted in 2021.
Notable prospect Zac Bolduc (first round, 2021 draft) was left off of Canada's World Juniors roster.
The World Junior Championship began Wednesday with the preliminary round with all three Blues players playing.
The U.S. beat Latvia 5-2, with Snuggerud scoring for the U.S. The U.S. outshot Latvia 46-17. They will take on Slovakia on Wednesday.
Finland opened up the preliminary round against Switzerland, losing 3-2. Kaskimäki did not register any points. The team will take on Slovakia on Tuesday.
Sweden shut out Austria 11-0 to open up the tournament. Simon Robertsson scored on a delayed penalty to extend Sweden's lead. Sweden will face Germany on Tuesday.
After the preliminary round, playoffs will begin Jan. 2, with the Championship game taking place Jan. 5.
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