Czechia and Slovakia are countries worth keeping an eye on in Ottawa at the world juniors.

When it comes to the World Junior Championship, it's once again gold or bust for Canada.

The same goes for Team USA, Finland and Sweden.

In the past 13 years, the gold medal has gone to one of those Big Four countries, with Canada winning five times, the U.S. winning four, Finland winning three and Sweden once. Most are expecting a similar outcome this time around, with The Hockey News' panel of experts all picking either Canada, U.S. or Sweden to appear in the championship final in Ottawa.

That being said, don't be surprised if we see an upset — or two.

Last year, Canada lost in the quarterfinal to Czechia. A similar fate befell Finland in 2023, the U.S. in 2022 and Sweden in 2021.

So, which country will be the odd man out this year? And more importantly, which lesser-known country could be the one to knock them out?

Here are two dark horse picks:

Czechia

Last year's finish: Defeated Finland 8-5 in the bronze medal game

This might be the last time we can call Czechia a true dark horse. After all, the country did win bronze last year and was the runner-up in 2023. What they haven't done since 2000 and 2001 is win gold. But if their recent win at the World Championship was any indication, the country is feeling extra motivated after being snubbed in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.

X-Factor: If Czechia goes deep, it will be because of 6-foot-6 goalie Michael Hrbal (Utah), who was the second goalie selected in the 2023 NHL draft.

Slovakia

Last year's finish: Lost 4-3 in overtime to Finland in the quarterfinal

This is an older and more experienced Slovakian team. How experienced? Well, Blues prospect Dalibor Dvorsky and defenseman Maxim Strbak will technically be playing in their fifth world juniors, although it comes with an asterisk attached since two of those games were played at the COVID-canceled 2021 tournament. Combined, the pair of 19-year-olds have combined for six goals and 21 points.

X-Factor: Dvorsky, who the Blues selected 10th overall in the 2023 NHL draft, has 11 goals and 21 points in 27 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL. If he can keep that production up, Slovakia could go far.

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