2024 NHL Draft: Top 20 prospects to watch at the Under-18 World Championship

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

It’s an excellent time to be a hockey fan.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing, putting on a thrilling show in the opening days of the first round. And starting April 25, we’ll be treated with quality hockey all day thanks to the start of the U-18 World Hockey Championship, taking place until May 6 in Finland.

For two weeks in Espoo and Vantaa, 10 teams will battle it out for gold on the international stage. USA and Sweden have made it to the final the past two years, with both teams winning one apiece. Canada won it back in 2021 with a stacked lineup that included Connor Bedard and Shane Wright and will look to contend with a competitive group again this year. Kazakhstan enters the tournament with a young roster hoping to stay in the top event after getting promoted in place of Germany last year.

Many of the top NHL Draft prospects won’t be there for one reason or another, but it’s still going to be filled with quality talent. Many are looking to prove to scouts they’re the real deal, while others are trying to earn themselves late-round fliers.

Here’s a look at 20 draft-eligible prospects you need to know as the tournament runs from April 25 – May 5:

Cole Eiserman, LW (USA)

Eiserman was great at this event last year, registering nine goals and 11 points in seven games for one of the best performances by a 16-year-old in tournament history. This time, he’s riding a goal-per-game run with the USNTDP, with many expecting him to score double-digit goals at this event. There isn’t a prospect with a better shot in the draft, and he will go down as one of the best goal-scorers in USA Hockey National Team Development history – a group that has had Cole Caufield, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Matt Tkachuk and Patrick Kane among others. Defensively, Eiserman can be invisible, though. Eiserman is a better physical threat and a skater than I think most people give him credit for. Hopefully he shows why here.

Konsta Helenius, C (Finland)

Getting Helenius in the lineup after spending the past few weeks with the men’s senior team is a huge boost for the hosts. Finland’s top center at the World Junior Championship, Helenius has impressed mightily against older competition this year. He hasn’t played for the U-18 team this year but he was one of their best players at this event last year. Helenius had 14 goals and 36 points in 51 games with Jukurit in Liiga play this year, the fourth-best output by a 17-year-old in league history behind Aleksander Barkov, Mikael Granlund, and Kaapo Kakko. Not too shabby for the skilled two-way forward.

Trevor Connelly, LW (USA)

Connelly has been one of the top players out of the USHL this season, so getting him to come over while Tri-City is actively part of the playoffs is a huge get for the Americans. Internationally, he was one of the best players at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Junior A Challenge and is one of the best American players who didn’t play with the USNTDP this year. Connelly is an excellent playmaker who has evolved his offensive game even further this year, showing less hesitation to shoot from just about anywhere. Connelly could end up being one of the better non-USNTDP additions the team has brought to this tournament in quite some time.

Liam Greentree, LW (Canada)

Greentree might be a bit too underrated this year. He’s not flashy by any means, but he had 36 goals and 90 points in 64 games while captaining Windsor at 17 years old. Greentree had a quiet Hlinka Gretzky Cup but showed over the full season that he can have a dominating presence and isn’t afraid to land big hits from time to time. Some scouts think he legitimately has top–10 potential—I disagree, but he can lock up a top-15 spot with a great showing here.

Aron Kiviharju, D (Finland)

Kiviharju got back into his first game action since the fall during Finland’s pre-tourney games, looking poised and confident on the team’s blueline. For a player who moves as well as he does, overcoming knee surgery is difficult, especially after playing just seven Liiga games prior to the injury. Kiviharju was one of the top defensive prospects heading into the season so he’ll have some catching up to do, but he ate minutes, moved the puck well and was Finland’s power-play quarterback at the past two U-18 tournaments. This could be a chance for him to get himself back on the right track and become one of the better steals in the draft.

Cole Hutson, D (USA)

Hutson made waves by putting up 12 points in seven games as an underaged player a year ago, marking his territory as one of the best blueliners in the tournament. He hasn’t exploded offensively this year like he did playing with the U-18 team a year ago, but he’s a more responsible defender than he was back then. He’s defensively flawed, can get too fancy with the puck at the wrong times and isn’t particularly big. But the upside here is still huge, and at this tournament, Hutson will be destructive with the extra space.

Lucas Pettersson, C (Sweden)

Pettersson has nothing to show for with MoDo’s men’s team, but he’s been downright tremendous with the U-20 team – and one of the best Swedish national team players, too. As a centerman, Pettersson plays a stout two-way game. His skating could improve, but I like him as a fringe first-rounder. At this tournament, though? I expect him to be one of Sweden’s most important forwards, as he has been all season long.

Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D (Sweden)

LSW has second-pairing defenseman written all over him. He’s not as offensively dominant as Alfons Freij but makes himself very difficult to play against. Whether it be the way he battles in the corners or the way he cuts players off on the rush, he has good physicality and competes as hard as anyone. Wallenius’ hockey IQ and playmaking also give him an edge over many defensemen in this draft class, thinking and acting quickly on the puck in any given situation.

Alfons Freij, D (Sweden)

An offensive defender, Freij has 25 points in 19 games, good for second in scoring among Swedish U-18 national team players this year, regardless of position. Freij is especially good on the power play, using the extra time and space to remain patient before getting the puck where it needs to be. He was one of the more proficient blueliners with Vaxjo’s U-20 team and was arguably Sweden’s best player in their exhibition game against Sweden on Monday, too. I love him with the puck and I feel like this event could be his coming-out party and potentially earn him a first-round selection.

Jett Luchanko, C (Canada)

For a while, I was worried he was too small – 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. And, yeah, I’d like to see more muscle here. But after he put up more than 50 assists this year, his vision and hockey IQ are worth getting excited about. Luchanko does an excellent job in extra space on the power play, working mainly as a distributor. He has a great shot, too, although I wish he’d use it more. His non-stop motor and drive to generate chances will make him one of Canada’s must-see forwards.

Tij Iginla, C, Kelowna (Canada)

Iginla was the last player to join Canada’s roster, giving the team a serious top-line threat. He’s is a solid distributor, but with the puck on his stick, he’s a dangerous generator. He plays with good pace, and while he isn’t big, he’s physically strong. There’s top-six potential here for a guy who loves controlling the pace of play. It doesn’t hurt having his family’s pedigree, either. There’s a lot of teams that have Iginla as their No. 1 “must-grab” this year and it’s easy to see why when you see him with the puck.

Marek Vanacker, LW (Canada)

Despite four multi-point efforts against the Oshawa Generals in Round 1, Vanacker couldn’t help extend the season for his Bulldogs team. That’s a win for Canada, who gets one of the OHL’s most dangerous offensive threats coming off a strong postseason run. He had 36 goals and 82 points during the regular season, helping push himself into the first-round conversation after starting much further down early on. A second-half riser, Vanacker is a smart forward with good speed and an excellent shot. He was quiet in the pre-tournament game against Finland, but should be relied upon heavily when the games start to matter.

Ryder Ritchie, RW (Canada)

Ritchie looked great in both of his previous tournaments for Canada, especially during the Hlinka Gretzky last summer. His regular season left a bit to be desired, but he ended the season with seven points over his final five games and scored against Finland in Saturday’s exhibition to start his Euro trip off right. A potential first-round pick, Ritchie has a great shot and can pull off highlight-reel moves from just about anywhere. The raw talent is there, but he just has to put it together on a nightly basis if he’s going to be effective in the NHL. This event can help put Ritchie back on the map.

Tomas Galvas, D (Czechia)

Galvas loves having the puck on his stick. He’s confident and has the general skillset to rush the puck with little difficulty, mostly due to his fluid skating. He had an OK showing at the World Junior Championship but was forced to take a bigger role due to Adam Jiricek’s early injury. He also took on more responsibility with Liberec as the Czech season wore on, facing tougher matchups later in the season while still getting into U-20 league games. With Jiricek still out, the Czechs should lean heavily on Galvas.

Adam Jecho, RW (Czechia)

Jecho is big at 6-foot-5 and 201 pounds, but he’s more than just a hulking body. He’s got a great shot, is hard to beat along the boards and is defensively responsible, too. Some scouts like him as a potential late first-rounder at the high end but I don’t think he’s a good enough skater for that. Jecho has plenty of experience with the U-18 team – he played in this event last year and has three Hlinka Gretzky Cup appearances to his credit. None of them were really lucrative on the scoresheet, but I loved the way he ended the WHL regular season and feel like he’s bound to have his best international showing over the next few weeks.

Emil Hemming, RW (Finland)

Hemming had a solid World Juniors, giving the bottom line a nice, energetic presence with size. I feel like he impressed more with the U-20 team than with the U-18 team throughout the season, but Hemming was incredible at the Hlinka and had a two-point effort against Switzerland last week. Hemming had a good year against men but looked two steps ahead of everyone in the U-20 league. We’ll see if his advanced competition helps him here.

Alex Zetterberg, LW (Sweden)

Few prospects have fascinated me this year as much as Zetterberg. He’s been one of Sweden’s best players all year long, scoring 33 points in 19 games with the U-18 team and registering some remarkable numbers with Orebro’s U-20 team. But at 5-foot-8, many scouts don’t see him as a draft prospect. He’s not physical enough and does most of his damage while standing still, with some concerns about his skating creeping in. But when we’re talking about this tournament in particular, I’m not too worried. Zetterberg is one of the better players in this class at generating chances, especially on the power play.

Leon Muggli, D (Switzerland)

Muggli has had a solid year in the top Swiss league. There were points at the World Juniors where Muggli was outmatched by drafted competition, but I felt like he got better as the tournament wore on and he wasn’t worried about making mistakes – allowing him to play to his strengths. I think he’s got the brains to have a good NHL career.

Teddy Stiga, LW (USA)

Stiga brings boundless energy to every shift, buzzing through the ice like his life depends on it. After putting him as a mid-second rounder last time, I feel confident pushing him up because he has been my favorite draft-eligible USNTDPer way too often this year not to. After watching him put on one of the best performances of any player at the U-18 Five Nations in Michigan back in February, I hope he does a bit of the same again in Finland.

Linus Eriksson, C (Sweden)

Eriksson split the year between Djurgardens’ men’s and junior team this year and looked good overall. He’s intelligent, plays a nice two-way game and is a tremendous passer. Eriksson had a solid showing at the Hlinka Gretzky but looked more dangerous at the World Junior A Challenge and other smaller events throughout the year. His 200-foot game makes him intriguing – he’s been a big riser over the past few months because of it.

Other notables: Daniil Ustinkov, D (Switzerland), Cole Beaudoin, C (Canada) Brodie Ziemer, C (USA), Aatos Koivu, C (Finland), Jakub Fibigr, D (Czechia)