10 players to watch at world junior hockey championship

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The world junior hockey championship has produced memorable moments and breathtaking performances.

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This year’s tournament in Ottawa should offer the same level of entertainment as the next generation of stars skate into the showcase event’s spotlight.

The Canadian Press takes a look at some of the players to watch in the nation’s capital when the annual under-20 event gets going Thursday.

GAVIN MCKENNA — CANADA

The 17-year-old forward from Whitehorse — his birthday was last week — is projected as the No. 1 selection at the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna, who plays for the Medicine Hat Tigers, leads the Western Hockey League with 60 points in 30 games this season. He will be looking to follow in the footsteps of recent underage Canadian world junior standouts Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini after also helping his country win gold at the under-18 world championship and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

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JAMES HAGENS — UNITED STATES

The freshman forward out of Boston College is in the conversation as the potential top pick at the upcoming NHL draft in June. Hagens has 20 points across 16 games in the NCAA so far in 2024-25. The 18-year-old will be relied on for offence as the Americans look to go back-to-back after winning last year’s tournament in Sweden.

EASTON COWAN — CANADA

The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is on a 56-game point streak in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights. Cowan looks set to start on the host country’s top line alongside Callum Ritchie and Bradly Nadeau after playing a supporting role at the 2024 event when Canada finished a disappointing fifth. The 19-year-old from Mount Brydges, Ont., who has 28 points in 20 games with London, got a long look at Leafs training camp in the fall before being returned to junior.

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MATTHEW SCHAEFER — CANADA

The 17-year-old defenceman from Hamilton is another player in the mix to go No. 1 at the 2025 NHL draft. Schaefer’s skating and smarts separate him from the pack and he figures to play a key role for Canada. The blueliner has 22 points in 17 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters after overcoming mononucleosis early on this season. Schaefer is another double-winner at the most recent U18 worlds and Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

RYAN LEONARD — UNITED STATES

The Washington Capitals prospect iced last year’s final with a stunning individual effort against Sweden in the gold-medal game. Leonard has 19 points in 16 contests this season playing on a line with Hagens and fellow U.S. forward Gabe Perreault at Boston College. The 19-year-old will be looking to do the same in Ottawa.

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PORTER MARTONE — CANADA

The 18-year-old power forward from Peterborough, Ont., is another potential top pick in June. Martone and his six-foot-three, 208-pound frame can often be found wreaking havoc in front of the opposition net. Martone has 54 points in 26 games this season for the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads on the heels of U18 and Hlinka Gretzky Cup triumphs with McKenna and Schaefer.

AXEL SANDIN-PELLIKKA — SWEDEN

The 19-year-old defenceman has played professionally on home soil the last three seasons, including in 2023-24 when Skelleftea AIK topped the league. The first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings has 22 points in 25 games this season and will be suiting up at the world juniors for a third time.

KONSTA HELENIUS — FINLAND

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The 18-year-old Buffalo Sabres prospect has spent 2024-25 in the American Hockey League. Helenius was loaned to his national team by the NHL club after putting up 17 points in 28 games with the Rochester Americans. The centre spent the last two seasons playing in Finland’s top league with Mikkelin Jukurit.

VICTOR EKLUND — SWEDEN

Another player projected to go high at the 2025 NHL draft, the 18-year-old winger has played professionally the last two seasons in his country’s second division with Djurgardens IF. Eklund has 15 points in 24 games as the storied club looks to win promotion and return to Sweden’s top circuit.

EDUARD SALE — CZECHIA

The Seattle Kraken prospect is another AHL player released to his country for the tournament. Sale has 13 points in 23 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds so far in 2024-25. The 19-year-old forward, who will be playing at his third world juniors after helping Czechia earn bronze last year and silver in 2023, had seven points in seven games at the 2024 tournament.

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