It's the second time the Wild has had three captains in one tournament and just the fourth time it's happened overall during the 41 years of the tournament.

Minnesota Wild fans will have plenty of reasons to keep an eye on the World Junior Championships this week -- four of them to be exact -- including three players who will wear the 'C' as captains of their respective clubs as the 10 nations compete for the Gold Medal in Toronto and Montreal.

In 2011, Jason Zucker (USA), Johan Larsson (Sweden) and Mikael Granlund (Finland) all captained their teams at the tournament. It was the first time since 1982 one club had three captains in the same championships.

Minnesota's three captains this time around include Luke Kunin, who leads Team USA, Joel Eriksson Ek, captain of Sweden and Kirill Kaprizov with Russia.

"It says a lot about them," said Wild Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr. "All three guys have a lot of character. They're recognized by their teams as being leaders and I think that's only a good thing for them moving forward as they reach the next level."

Jordan Greenway is the Wild's fourth player in the tournament. He has been skating on a line with Kunin, scored a goal in Team USA's 6-1 win over Latvia in the tournament opener on Monday and was named the team's Player of the Game.

Kunin, who was Minnesota's first-round pick in the most recent NHL Draft over the summer, has progressed nicely since the team was first able to see him live at the Wild's Development Camp in July, Flahr said.

Kunin already has 11 goals in just 16 games with the University of Wisconsin. As the first sophomore to captain the Badger men's hockey team in 41 years, Kunin will try to add a second gold medal in international play to his trophy case. Two years ago, he captained Team USA to gold at the Under-18 World Championships.

"He scores goals, plays hard and usually plays the right way," Flahr said. "He's a kid that hates to lose and plays with a lot of passion, which I love to see."

Eriksson Ek got his first taste of NHL action earlier this season when he played in nine games with Minnesota, scoring two goals -- including one in his NHL debut -- and three assists while accumulating a plus-2 before the Wild sent him back to his club in Sweden.

Eriksson Ek scored a goal, assisted on another and also made a fantastic defensive play, backchecking to break up a potential breakaway, in Sweden's 6-1 tournament-opening win over Denmark on Monday.

"The one thing about him is, his game never changes," Flahr said. "It was a tough decision to send him back because he was having some success with us. But at the same time, to go back and play big minutes and play in the World Junior tournament, to be a leader and be the guy and play all the important minutes in all situations, I think it's an important learning step. Hopefully he'll benefit from it going forward."

Kaprizov has 15 goals and 30 points in 37 games with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the Kontinental Hockey League, impressive numbers for a 19-year-old in Russia's top professional league. He was recently named to his second KHL All-Star Game as well.

A fifth-round selection of the Wild in the 2015 NHL Draft, Kaprizov was set to come to Minnesota this past summer for his first prospect camp before his KHL rights were traded and he was encouraged to stay home and train for the season.

Flahr said the Wild will try again next summer to get him to the United States to see Xcel Energy Center and the state as well as to meet some of his fellow prospects.

Kaprizov has one year remaining on his contract after this season in the KHL, but could then come to the U.S. to compete for a roster spot.

"His hockey sense is pretty high-end. He thinks the game at a high level," Flahr said. "He's not the biggest or tallest guy, but he's well built, he sees the game so well. He's one of those guys that knows what he's doing with the puck before he gets it."

Pool play at the World Junior Championships continues through New Year's Eve, with the much anticipated U.S. game against Canada on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Medal round play commences on Monday and last four days, concluding with the Bronze Medal and Gold Medal games on Jan. 5 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Most of the games can be watched live or on tape delay on NHL Network. For a complete schedule of games, click here.