BROSSARD, Que. — It will be hard to overlook the head-to-head battle between the likely top two picks in the NHL draft when Canada faces the United States at the world junior championship. Debate has raged for at least two years on whether Canadas Connor McDavid or American Jack Eichel will go first at the 2015 draft in June. But before that is settled, the gifted teenagers will face each other in a showdown for first place in their preliminary round group at the Bell Centre on Wednesday afternoon. You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN1, TSN4, TSN5 and TSN GO or listen live on the TSN Radio Network with coverage beginning at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt. While both insist the game is about the teams and not themselves, many fans in the seats and viewers on television will be comparing the play of two of the best junior prospects to emerge in recent years. Its there a little bit, McDavid said Tuesday of the Connor versus Jack sideshow. Its been something thats been there for a long time now, but at the end of the day, its the U.S. against Canada. Its not me against anybody else. Eichel agreed. Its not all about me versus Connor, its a huge matchup for the top seed in our bracket, he said. Eichel, who turned 18 on Oct. 28, was named captain of the American squad despite his youth, while Canada made McDavid, who turns 18 on Jan. 13, an alternate to captain Curtis Lazar. It is rare for a so-called underage player at the mostly 19-year-old tournament to wear any letter at all, but these two are special talents. Both are great skaters. Both have sublime hands and playmaking ability. Both pile up points, although neither has had a breakout game at the world juniors yet. After three games each, McDavid has a goal and two assists, all collected during a 4-0 win over Germany. Eichel has a goal and a helper. In the Ontario Hockey League, the 6-foot-1, 187-pound McDavid has 16 goals and 51 points in only 18 games for the Erie Otters. Before the world juniors, he hadnt played since Nov. 11 after breaking his right hand in a fight. The 6-foot-2, 193-pound Eichel has eight goals and 27 points in 16 games for Boston University playing against slightly older competition in the NCAA. Now they are set to play against each other with a host of NHL scouts and a national TV audience watching every move. You always want to be a difference maker, whatever game it is, said the soft-spoken McDavid. Obviously its a bigger stage, but that doesnt make a difference. Both coaches, Benoit Groulx for Canada and Mark Osiecki for the U.S., praised their young phenoms for not getting too caught up in the hype about themselves and for putting their teams performance first. Although McDavid and Eichel have never really met off the ice, theyve faced each other before at under-17 and under-18 events. They also both played at last years world junior championship in Malmo, Sweden, although neither was in a leading role at that point in their development. Its exciting, but its more exciting just to be at this tournament in general, said Eichel. Its been a lot of fun so far and Im sure itll be a blast. Canada and the U.S. have built a rivalry in recent years that will add intensity to the matchup. And regardless of who wins, they could end up meeting again in the knockout stage. For us, its Canada versus the U.S., not Connor versus Eichel, said Groulx. Those are two guys among 44 players who will play against each other. I cant answer for him, but I think a lot of media have been talking about Eichel and McDavid, so I think theyre used to it. But Connor is a team player and he thinks more about us winning than him versus Eichel. Canada (3-0-0 for nine points) has outscored its opponents 16-1 so far, while the U.S. (2-0-1 for eight points) has an 11-1 edge. The Americans lost a point by going to overtime and a shootout in its tournament opening 2-1 win over Finland. Where Canada has an edge is on the power play, which has scored on five of 10 chances. The Americans have one goal in 13 opportunities. Neither team has conceded a power-play goal. Groulx made a surprise move in announcing that Eric Comrie will get the start in goal. Zach Fucale, a Montreal native, started the first and third games, allowing one goal, while Comrie had a 4-0 shutout against Germany. While the choice suggests to some a lack of faith in Fucale, Groulx said he considers them equal and said it has not yet been decided which of them is the number one goaltender. He also said that Vancouver Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen will stick with McDavids line with Curtis Lazar after playing there in the third period of a 4-1 win over Finland on Monday night. That bumps big Nick Ritchie of the Peterborough Petes to the fourth unit. Hes the same type of player as Rich, McDavid said of Virtanen. Hes a big body. He flies out there. Hes a real presence and he has a lot of skills. The game also features two more players slated as top-10 draft picks: fourth-line forward Lawson Crouse for Canada and defenceman Noah Hanifin of the U.S., who many have ranked just behind McDavid and Eichel. Nike Zoom Online Shop . Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs. Nike Zoom For Sale . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver. http://www.wholesalenikezoom.com/. On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Nike Zoom Sale . Pistorius mindset when he stood on his stumps in a bathroom and pulled the trigger on his 9 mm pistol in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013 remains the crux of the South African trial that has captured worldwide attention and is about to start its seventh week of globally televised proceedings. It was initially scheduled to run for three weeks. Wholesale Nike Zoom . In this space, I will be writing new and unique pieces about the team that you wont be able to find anywhere else. So naturally, in an attempt to come up with a fresh topic about the Ottawa Senators, I am going to start with a piece about their goaltending.BARRIE, Ont. -- Brendan ONeill stopped 35 shots as the North Bay Battalion edged the Barrie Colts 3-2 in Ontario Hockey League play Tuesday. Vincent Praplan, Alex Henriksson and Nick Paul each scored for North Bay (32-22-6). 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