Some of the worldB次元官网网址檚 best young hockey talents will go head-to-head in Victoria and Vancouver next week.

The 2019 world junior hockey championship kicks off on Tuesday, featuring dozens of athletes likely to carve out careers in the NHL.

Here are five storylines youB次元官网网址檒l want to watch at this yearB次元官网网址檚 tournament:

THE BROTHERS HUGHES

Hockey fans will get a peek at the teen whoB次元官网网址檚 expected to go No. 1 at next yearB次元官网网址檚 NHL draft B次元官网网址� and heB次元官网网址檒l be playing with his older brother.

Both Quinn and Jack Hughes will be key pieces for the U.S. team.

Seventeen-year-old Jack has already earned a reputation as a speedy, highly-skilled and high-scoring centre. Currently playing with the U.S. development team, heB次元官网网址檚 an early favourite to be the first overall draft pick in June.

Nineteen-year-old Quinn was taken seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks last year.

HeB次元官网网址檒l be one of three returning defencemen for the U.S. junior team, and has spent this season as a sophomore at the University of Michigan. Quinn already has three goals and 17 assists for the Wolverines this year, closing in on the 29 points he tallied in his rookie campaign.

The Hughes brothers shared the ice at the world junior showcase in Kamloops, B.C., last summer, connecting on some highlight-reel worthy goals.

U.S. junior team coach Mike Hastings said at the time that the pair have obvious chemistry, talent and passion for the game.

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SWEDENB次元官网网址橲 STREAK

ItB次元官网网址檚 been a long time since last yearB次元官网网址檚 silver medallists lost a match up in the group stage B次元官网网址� 11 tournaments (or 44 games) to be precise.

Though Sweden has dominated in round-robin play, they have captured just one gold medal in the same stretch, taking the championship title in 2012.

Keeping the streak alive may be difficult this year. The Swedes are in a group with the United States, Finland, Slovakia and Kazakhstan.

TheyB次元官网网址檒l also be without 18-year-old defenceman Rasmus Dahlin, who is busy tearing up the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres.

Timothy Liljegren of the American Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Toronto Marlies wonB次元官网网址檛 be in the lineup after he suffered a high-ankle sprain earlier this month.

But the Swedes will still get some solid defensive play from LiljegrenB次元官网网址檚 Marlies teammate Rasmus Sandin, and Adam Boqvist, whoB次元官网网址檚 with the Ontario Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 London Knights.

CANUCKS IN THE CREASE

Mike DiPietro used the disappointment of being cut from last yearB次元官网网址檚 junior squad as fuel as he evolved into one of the best netminders in the Canadian Hockey League.

After selection camp, he set an alarm on his phone that would periodically blast a stark message on to the screen: B次元官网网址淕ot cut from world juniors.B次元官网网址� The message motivated the Vancouver Canucks prospect to push a little harder when he returned to the Windsor Spitfires.

It worked. DiPietroB次元官网网址檚 performance in net earned him goaltender of the year honours from the Ontario Hockey League last season.

His success has continued this year, first with the Spitfires and now the Ottawa 67s. HeB次元官网网址檚 posted a 12-8-0 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

Now the 19-year-old Amherstburg, Ont., native will be one of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 two goalies in this yearB次元官网网址檚 tournament.

The other is CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 Ian Scott, who has been a brick wall for the Western Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Prince Albert Raiders. He boasts a 23-2-0 record this season with a 1.61 goals-against average and a stunning .943 save percentage.

Earlier this month, the 19-year-old signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

KAZAKHSTANB次元官网网址橲 BACK

Yes, Kazakhstan has a junior hockey team.

While the athletes making up the squad arenB次元官网网址檛 necessarily household names, many play in the Kontinental Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 feeder league, known as the MHL.

Hockey fans may be surprised to see the Central Asian country listed among the tournament contenders, but this isnB次元官网网址檛 the first year the Kazakhstanis have participated. They were last in the tournament in 2009.

And they have played giant-killer before, upsetting Canada 6-3 in the 1998 world junior championship in Finland.

While Canada is a perennial world juniors powerhouse, some other countries come and go, depending on their performance the year before.

After round-robin play, the two last-placed teams play a best-of-three relegation series where the winner retains their spot in the tournament. The loser is sent down to play in Division I Group A.

Germany won the lower tournament earlier this month, earning a spot in 2020B次元官网网址檚 main event.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press