The New Year promises to bring three world-class tournaments to Canada, along with renewed playoff hope for the country's lone NBA and MLB teams.

Here’s a look ahead to some of the most exciting sports events on the horizon in 2015.

2015 World Junior Championship (Dec. 26 to Jan. 5)

The annual International Ice Hockey Federation Under-20 tournament has become a Canadian holiday tradition, and this year it will take center stage with games split between the Air Canada Centre in Toronto and the Bell Centre in Montreal.

It's been a disappointing last five years for Canada at the World Juniors, as the young Canadians haven't brought home a gold medal since 2009. Expectations are always high, but the pressure will be even greater with the team playing in two of the hottest media markets in the country.

The Canadian player to watch at the tournament will be Newmarket, Ont. native Connor McDavid, whom many say could become the next great player in the sport. The 17-year-old is being touted as the next Sidney Crosby, and he's expected to go first overall in the NHL entry draft next summer.

McDavid will be one of only a handful of draft-eligible players at the World Juniors. Most of his teammates have already been selected by NHL teams, and they'll use the World Juniors as an audition for their big-league clubs.

The Team Canada roster includes seven players drafted by six different Canadian NHL teams.

Those players are:

  • Jake Virtanen, forward, Vancouver Canucks
  • Curtis Lazar, forward, Ottawa Senators
  • Frederik Gauthier, forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Darnell Nurse, defenceman, Edmonton Oilers
  • Josh Morrissey, defenceman, Winnipeg Jets
  • Zachary Fucale, goaltender, Montreal Canadiens
  • Eric Comrie, goaltender, Winnipeg Jets

The Canadians have won five straight gold medals in the tournament between 2005 and 2009, but they’ve only managed to secure two silver medals and a bronze in the five years since.

Team Canada will start the tournament with an evening game against Team Slovakia in Montreal on Dec. 26. The preliminary round wraps up on New Year's Eve, and the playoff round runs from Jan. 2 to Jan. 5.

Toronto Raptors (Now until Spring 2015)

The "Northern Uprising" will be in full swing in 2015 as the Toronto Raptors continue to compete for the hearts and minds of Canadians, even as they compete for a playoff spot in the NBA.

The Raptors surprised a lot of basketball experts last year when they surged up the standings in the latter half of the season to grab a playoff berth and home court advantage in the NBA playoffs. It was their first playoff appearance since 2008, and they battled the Brooklyn Nets to a dramatic seven-game finale that saw the Raps fall just short of victory.

Fans rallied around Toronto’s “We the North” slogan during the series, and rap superstar Drake brought extra attention to the team in his role as community ambassador.

The Raps have continued their winning ways this season with their best start in franchise history. They now sit at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and they're practically a lock to make the playoffs for a second straight year.

Last year's playoff appearance went a long way to cementing the Raptors' popularity in Canada. Raptors gear is cool again, from their new "We the North" branded clothing to their retro purple shirts, circa 1995.

General manager Masai Ujiri has built a playoff contender, and coach Dwane Casey is an early candidate for Coach of the Year honours. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan lead the team offensively, while youngster Jonas Valaciunas has developed into a rebound machine.

The Raptors are poised for a playoff run in 2015, and a first-round victory sounds like a natural progression for the fast-rising squad.

Their resurgence will continue with a new logo and new uniforms to start the 2015-16 season.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup (June 6 to July 5)

Canada has spent the last four years preparing to host the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup at six sites around the country. Canada beat out Zimbabwe for the right to host the event, which will run from June 6 to July 5 at stadiums in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Moncton.

The women's World Cup will be a chance for 2012 Olympic hero Christine Sinclair to strut her stuff in front of a home crowd on one of the biggest stages in women's soccer. The 31-year-old has played in three women's World Cups, and will captain the Canadian squad in 2015.

Canada will open the tournament with a game against China at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on June 6.

Germany, the United States and Japan headline a pack of 26 teams set to compete at the tournament. The Canadian women are ninth in FIFA's latest international rankings, and they'll no doubt aim to perform well on home turf.

That home turf will be artificial turf – a fact that’s upset some female soccer players. A group of players launched a lawsuit in November against FIFA, claiming the governing body was being demeaning and sexist by allowing their tournament to be played on artificial turf instead of real grass.

The players in the lawsuit say it's unfair that women should be forced to play on the fake grass, while men would never have to settle for it at their World Cup.

The case is before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Toronto Blue Jays (Starts April 6)

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos continued his now-annual tradition of big off-season changes this winter, reshaping his roster for another run at the playoffs in 2015 after falling short last year.

A.A.'s biggest move to date was acquiring all-star third baseman Josh Donaldson from Oakland in exchange for oft-injured Brett Lawrie and three prospects. He also upgraded the team's talent behind the plate, inking star Canadian catcher Russell Martin in free agency.

That's the kind of tinkering many had hoped to see during the 2014 season, but Anthopoulos mostly stood pat with his roster while his team collapsed down the stretch. There was much grumbling within the Jays clubhouse and among fans over that approach, but Anthopoulos has silenced most of those critics with a flurry of off-season moves.

The Jays will have to establish a more consistent team effort in 2015 after a rollercoaster 2014 campaign. Toronto led the American League East with a 38-24 record on June 6, but flamed out down the stretch and weren't even in the wildcard race by the final week of the season.

It was the kind of late-season disaster Toronto fans are more used to seeing from the Maple Leafs.

The 2015 Blue Jays will be expected to challenge for a playoff berth with strong seasons from returning stars Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey and Mark Buerhle.

Newcomers Donaldson and Martin will have to replace the offence of Melky Cabrera and Adam Lind, who departed via free agency and trade, respectively.

The Jays are in the middle of a 21-year post-season drought, and they haven't played a playoff game since Joe Carter hit a three-run homer to win Game Six and the 1993 World Series.

Another season of failure might mean shakeups in the Jays' front office.

Pan Am Games (July 10 to July 26)

The 2015 Pan American Games will invade the Greater Toronto Area from July 10-26, with events scheduled to be held at more than two dozen venues in Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga, Oshawa, Markham and other small townships in the area.

The Pan Am Games will bring together approximately 7,000 athletes from 41 different countries in the Western Hemisphere. They’ll compete in 36 different sports, from traditional events like wrestling and swimming to newer disciplines like BMX biking and water skiing. Other notable sports include golf, sailing, baseball, equestrian and track and field.

Toronto is the largest city ever to host the event, which comes with a taxpayer price tag of approximately $2.5 billion split between the federal, provincial and municipal levels. That’s the highest cost ever for a city to host the Pan Am Games, and $1 billion more than organizers expected to spend when they were awarded hosting rights.

Much of that money went into building temporary and permanent facilities for the Games, as well as upgrading existing facilities like BMO Field.