HELSINKI – Curtis Lazar believes Jake Virtanen should be a dominant player at this year's World Junior Hockey Championship.

"He's one of the most explosive players I've ever played against, especially for a kid his age," said Lazar, who faced Virtanen in the WHL and won a gold medal with him at last year's world juniors. "He has the bigger ice over there, which, for a power forward and smooth skater, he can exploit that."

Lazar knows exactly what Virtanen is going through right now. One year ago, the Ottawa Senators loaned Lazar to Team Canada for the world juniors. Lazar was under pressure to produce right away, but the transition from the professional ranks back to junior hockey wasn't as easy as it may seem.

"Probably the toughest thing for myself was going back to the junior style, that more run-and-gun style where with puck management the emphasis isn't quite there," Lazar told TSN's Brent Wallace in an interview last week. "Pucks are flying all over the place and, meanwhile, I'm trying to stress patience and pick my spots, which is what we like to implement up here in Ottawa."

Lazar didn't register a point in his first three games last year (two pre-tournament games and the tournament opener against Slovakia). He didn't get an even-strength point until the third game of the round robin (his fifth game overall).

Virtanen, officially loaned by the Vancouver Canucks to Team Canada on Dec. 13, is well aware of the challenge.

"Yeah, it's a lot different," said Virtanen, who has a goal and three assists in 19 games with the Canucks this season. "The NHL game is more structured. You have a lot more time [with the puck] down in juniors and you have to make plays."

Last year, Lazar played on a line with Connor McDavid, who was just coming back from a broken hand, and it took a few games and practices to generate chemistry.

"The thing with junior hockey and the world junior tournament is you have to take it upon yourself to go chase down that puck and have a hands-on approach," said Lazar.

Virtanen had just one assist in his last 10 games with Vancouver before sustaining a hip pointer in a game Nov. 30. His ice time was below 12 minutes in all but two games in November. But on Team Canada, he will play big minutes and be expected to drive the offence.

In a pre-tournament game on Saturday, Virtanen played on a line with Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Brayden Point, who was leading the WHL in scoring (43 points in 19 games with Moose Jaw) before sustaining a shoulder injury on Nov. 17. Virtanen and Point should be a dynamic one-two punch for Team Canada.

Head coach Dave Lowry has high expectations for Virtanen. The Team Canada bench boss, an assistant on Benoit Groulx's staff last year, says he expects the 6-foot-1, 207-pound winger to be his team's most physical forward.

"That's definitely going to be part of my game," Virtanen said. "Obviously, I'm not going to go out of my way to hit guys, but when the hit's there I'm definitely going to be laying the body out there. In this tournament you got to be hard on key guys. Other than that, I think I'm just going to bring that power forward game."

Sometimes players who get sent back to juniors need time to get refocused. One day you're on a charter plane heading to an NHL rink and the next day you're taking a bus to a small town in Finland (Imatra) and going through a week of practices at a level you felt you had graduated from.

"You do dream of playing in the world juniors, but that's not the main goal growing up," Lazar admitted. "The way I looked at it was, it's a few weeks away from your NHL career and it can help you out in the long run."

Since joining Team Canada, Virtanen has seemed genuinely engaged in the process.

"Right now, my focus is here," he said when asked if he was keeping tabs on the Canucks. "I'm really focused on this team right now."

Virtanen has been noticeable in battle drills, including a big hit on Ottawa Senators prospect Thomas Chabot in one practice session. He scored a goal in his first pre-tournament game on Saturday against Belarus.

"I don't have any problem with his attitude," said Lowry. "I think Jake is excited to be here and that's what we had hoped for when he was released to us."

Lazar believes if approached properly the world juniors could be a launching pad to a big second half of the NHL season for Virtanen. Virtanen knows that even though he's half a world away from Vancouver, the Canucks are still watching. He has been instructed to focus on certain aspects of his game.

"A lot of board work," he said. "I think that's what I can really work on. I mean, in the NHL it's a lot faster, guys are on you a lot quicker, so protecting the puck is something I can do here as well as making plays. Making plays and getting the confidence back."

Lazar admits going to the world juniors last year wasn't an easy decision. The Senators engaged him in the discussions about what to do and he and general manager Bryan Murray had several talks about it. In the end, he's grateful it played out the way it did.

"If I had been sitting on the couch watching Canada win gold without me I would've been kicking myself," he said. "That's pretty safe to say."

Lazar's advice for Virtanen? "Have some fun and embrace it."

"It's exciting," said Virtanen. "Leadership is going to be huge for me, bringing that experience from last year and being a guy that my teammates can rely on in all situations. To represent your country, it's a pretty special moment for me and I can't wait to get it going."

He won't have to wait long. Canada opens the tournament against the United States on Boxing Day.