World Championships/junior update

Twelve of the 16 teams in the IIHF World Championships have moved on to the “qualification round,” a second round of round-robin play that will determine the eight quarterfinal teams. The United States (with Jack Johnson), Slovakia (with Michal Handzus) and Canada (with Jonathan Bernier) all advanced, and all three teams will open the next round on Friday.

In the preliminary round, the United States went 2-1, and Johnson had two assists. Slovakia went 1-2, and Handzus did not record a point in two games. Canada went 2-0-1, and Bernier did not appear in a game.

Also, in junior hockey, Kings prospect Maxim Kitsyn and the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors have advanced to the finals of the OHL playoffs and lead Owen Sound 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. Kitsyn leads Mississauga with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 14 playoff games. Mississauga has already qualified for the four-team Memorial Cup, because it is the tournament host. In the Western Hockey League, Portland and Kootenay are playing for the championship. Kings prospect Linden Vey, playing for Medicine Hat, remains the league’s top playoff scorer with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 15 games.

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