All the usual suspects -- Canada, the United States, Sweden -- are expected to be the class of the tournament, which kicks off today in Harbin, China. But as his squad faces Russia today to open defence of its 2007 world title, he doesn't expect it will be tough to keep his players' eyes on the prize and not get overconfident against the world's weaker clubs.

"I really like the chemistry we have," said [Peter Smith]. "We've got some real good experience, players who have been here before and we've got some younger players who are really on their way up, so I think that combination makes for a pretty strong group."

"We've got a real good depth. Solid goaltending, some 'D' that get the puck out of our own end and we've got forwards who can put the puck in the net," said Smith. "But I think our depth is our biggest strength. We also do a lot of real good things at a real good speed, so I think those are real good attributes that our team has."