One top prospect to watch for every NHL team at the 2024 World Juniors

Mike Gould
Mike Gould
One top prospect to watch for every NHL team at the 2024 World Juniors
Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship is right around the corner.

All but two of the National Hockey League’s 32 teams will have at least one representative at the tournament, which is slated to take place from December 26 to January 5 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

The Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers are the only two teams without a single prospect set to take part at this year’s World Juniors. The fans of those clubs can sit back and relax without even thinking about individual prospects while watching their own national teams of choice.

For the rest of us, Boxing Day marks the beginning of one of the biggest prospect evaluation opportunities on the hockey calendar. Here’s a handy list of one top prospect to watch for every NHL team — aside from Colorado and Edmonton — at this year’s World Juniors in Sweden.

Anaheim Ducks: Tristan Luneau (Canada) — Luneau is all but pencilled in as a top-four defender for Team Canada. He’s one of the oldest players set to participate in this year’s tournament and has already appeared in seven NHL games with the Ducks this season. If Canada is going to go far, it could very well be on the back of its strong defensive group — and the smooth-skating Luneau figures to be a huge part of it.

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Geekie (Canada) — It’s entirely possible Geekie ends up being Team Canada’s No. 1 center in Sweden. He’s been white-hot all year long with the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild, putting up a team-leading 20 goals and 49 points in just 26 games. Like fellow Coyotes prospect and Team Canada defender Maveric Lamoureux, Geekie is big, skilled, and capable at both ends of the ice. It’s not out of the question that he becomes a legit contributor in the NHL as soon as next season.

Boston Bruins: Matt Poitras (Canada) — Nobody else in the World Juniors is as established an NHLer as Poitras already is. The 19-year-old center has spent much of the year in Boston’s top six, racking up 13 points in 27 games. He hasn’t exactly been a perfect facsimile for the departed Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, but who is? Poitras will be one of the focal points for Team Canada all tournament long.

Buffalo Sabres: Jiri Kulich (Czechia) — There are a few good Sabres prospects taking part in this year’s tournament, including Noah Ostlund and Matt Savoie (but not Zach Benson). Kulich is the best of the bunch. This will be the 19-year-old’s third WJC appearance; he’s coming off a 2023 tournament in which he scored seven goals and nine points in seven games en route to a silver medal for the Czechs.

Calgary Flames: Sam Honzek (Slovakia) — As opposed to Buffalo, the Flames have precisely one prospect at this year’s World Juniors. That would be Honzek, who has missed much of the season to date with a lower-body injury but looked good upon his return to the Vancouver Giants’ lineup earlier this month. Honzek is a big winger who could play a pivotal role for a Slovakia team that figures to be a plucky underdog.

Carolina Hurricanes: Felix Unger Sorum (Sweden) — Carolina hasn’t made a ton of high picks of late, although Bradly Nadeau looks like a potential future star for Team Canada. In the meantime, Hurricanes fans can watch Unger Sorum, a Norwegian-born Swede who figures to play a middle-six role for Team Sweden. Under Sorum is a skilled but slightly undersized playmaker who has been getting top PP minutes in tune-up games.

Chicago Blackhawks: Frank Nazar (USA) — Nazar has had a tougher time getting up to speed in the NCAA than some draft analysts might’ve hoped, but he should be able to hold his own as Team USA’s No. 3 center in Sweden. The slick pivot made the age cutoff for this year’s tournament by just two weeks. Nazar won’t win any awards for his defensive play but he could provide a significant boost to an American PP unit.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Denton Mateychuk (Canada) — The 5’11” Mateychuk should start the tournament on Canada’s top pairing with 6’7″ Maveric Lamoureux. What a duo that’ll be. Mateychuk is a mobile, high-scoring defender who should see a ton of time on the No. 1 PP unit for the Canadians. It’s entirely possible Mateychuk will combine for a scoring play at the WJC with wee winger Jordan Dumais, another Blue Jackets prospect.

Dallas Stars: Aram Minnetian (USA) — Minnetian is the one and only player representing the Stars at the World Juniors. The 5’11” right-handed defenseman has four points in 17 games at Boston College this season. The Stars selected Minnetian in the fourth round (No. 125 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft; he projects to play a depth role for Team USA.

Detroit Red Wings: Axel Sandin Pellikka (Sweden) — ASP is likely to be one of the big stars of this year’s World Juniors. He’s been on fire to start the season with Skelleftea in the SHL, collecting nine goals and 13 points through his first 25 games. Expect Sandin Pellikka to log a ton of minutes, especially on the power play, as Team Sweden’s prospective No. 1 D. He might be the most skilled defenseman in the tournament.

Florida Panthers: Marek Alscher (Czechia) — Don’t expect Alscher to put up a ton of points for the Czechs, but he’ll be relied upon heavily to log a ton of minutes at 5-on-5. The 6’3″ left-handed defender has just nine points in 26 appearances with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks this year, but that’s not his game. Alscher is a pure shutdown guy who kills plays and works the puck up the ice in transition.

Los Angeles Kings: Otto Salin (Finland) — Salin is the Kings’ lone representative at this year’s World Juniors. He’s expected to be one of the leaders for a Finnish team that is more of an underdog than in previous tournaments. Salin is a 5’11” right-handed defender who had three assists in five games with the Finns at last year’s tournament; this time around, he’s projected to play on top pairing with Arttu Karki (VGK).

Minnesota Wild: Liam Ohgren (Sweden) — Ohgren has missed time with an upper-body injury this year but looks to be good to go for the hosts in Sweden. If, as expected, Team Sweden goes far at this year’s tournament, it’ll likely be on the back of its top line. Ohgren, Noah Ostlund (BUF), and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (VAN) all played together with with Djurgardens in the Allsvenskan league last year and could be reunited this time around, although they didn’t play together in Tuesday’s tune-up contest.

Montreal Canadiens: Lane Hutson (USA) — It still doesn’t make any sense that Hutson fell all the way to No. 62 overall in the 2022 draft. Yes, he’s short (although he’s likely not done growing). But the left-handed defender has put up numbers more becoming of a star forward since arriving at Boston University. Hutson is all but guaranteed to quarterback Team USA’s top PP and should put up a ton of points over in Sweden.

Nashville Predators: Matthew Wood (Canada) — Wood probably won’t play on the top line, but he should still get plenty of opportunities to produce on a slightly underpowered Canadian team. Although he’s 6’4″, Wood is a finesse guy with a great shot and plenty of international experience. He had seven goals in seven games at the U-18s earlier this year and has been productive from a young age at UConn.

New Jersey Devils: Seamus Casey (USA) — Casey had might as well be the Hutson equivalent at the University of Michigan (although he shoots right, not left). He’s another short defenseman who has put up big numbers ever since he arrived in the NCAA last season. Casey is currently the leading scorer on a stacked Michigan team that also includes Frank Nazar (CHI), Rutger McGroarty (WPG), and Gavin Brindley (CBJ). He’s a terrific talent.

New York Islanders: Danny Nelson (USA) — USA Hockey loves its big boys, and Nelson absolutely qualifies. The 6’3″ forward hasn’t had the easiest time adjusting to NCAA hockey with the University of Notre Dame this season but has pretty solid pedigree as a top-five scorer at the USNTDP last year. Nelson projects to be a bottom-six guy on a deep American squad over in Sweden.

New York Rangers: Gabe Perreault (USA) — In retrospect, it’s kind of bonkers that Perreault fell all the way to No. 23 overall in this year’s draft. He’s not particularly undersized (5’11”, 165) and has produced buckets upon buckets of points everywhere he’s gone. Perreault and Will Smith (SJ) formed an unbelievable 1/2 scoring punch for the USNTDP last year and should be reunited alongside Ryan Leonard (WSH) over in Sweden.

Ottawa Senators: Tomas Hamara (Czechia) — The Sens’ prospect pool is in pretty rough shape considering how many picks they’ve traded away of late, but Hamara is one of the more worthwhile guys to follow in that system. He’s a no-nonsense left-handed defenseman with plenty of international experience but limited offensive upside. This will be Hamara’s third time representing Czechia at the World Juniors; he served as an alternate captain in Tuesday’s tune-up game.

Philadelphia Flyers: Cutter Gauthier (USA) — Gauthier isn’t the top prospect in the Flyers’ system — that’d be Matvei Michkov, of course — but he’s certainly no shrinking violet. The 6’2″ center has been a force to be reckoned with since arriving at Boston College last year and is projected to lead the charge on Team USA’s top line. Gauthier had 10 points in seven games with the Americans at last year’s tournament. He gooood.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Brayden Yager (Canada) — Yager has been a lot of fun to watch with the Moose Jaw Warriors this year while running tandem with Jagger Firkus (SEA), who was inexplicably omitted from this year’s iteration of Team Canada. Nevertheless, Yager should be more than capable of holding his own on one of Canada’s secondary scoring lines. He’s a terrific shooter who has 11 points in his last six WHL games entering the WJC.

San Jose Sharks: Filip Bystedt (Sweden) — Bystedt looked like he might be a bit of a reach when the Sharks picked him in the first round of the 2022 draft, but he’s done a solid job of dispelling some of those concerns with Linkoping in the SHL over the last two seasons. A big, powerful center, Bystedt should slot in neatly as the Swedes’ No. 2 guy down the middle behind Ostlund.

Seattle Kraken: Eduard Sale (Czechia) — Sale has been highly regarded in the Czech ranks for years and years, leading to him being selected No. 20 overall by the Kraken in this year’s draft, but he hasn’t gotten off to the greatest start in the OHL. The 6’2″ winger has just seven goals and 21 points in 25 games with the Barrie Colts as a D+1 guy. The WJC could offer Sale an opportunity to gather some momentum leading into the second half of the season.

St. Louis Blues: Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia) — Dvorsky is sure to be the centerpiece of this year’s Slovak team. Along with Yager, Nate Danielson, and Oliver Moore, Dvorsky was one of the secondary group of centers available at the most recent draft. The 6’1″ forward entered the Swedish ranks back in 2021 to further develop his game; now, he’s in the OHL and has 34 points in 20 contests with the Sudbury Wolves.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Isaac Howard (USA) — It hasn’t exactly been the smoothest of transitions to the NCAA for Howard after he was one of the top offensive players in the USNTDP. Howard had a tough time producing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2022–23, leading to him transferring to Michigan State; now, after scoring 20 points in 18 games as a sophomore, Howard has locked down a spot on Team USA.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Easton Cowan (Canada) — The Leafs shocked the hockey world when they took Cowan with the No. 28 pick in this year’s draft. Six months later, the 18-year-old forward is running at a 1.7 point-per-game clip with the OHL’s London Knights and has spent time on the left side of Team Canada’s top line in tune-up contests. Cowan and Fraser Minten have also been slotted in on Canada’s PP units in the early goings.

Vancouver Canucks: Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Sweden) — The Canucks have always loved their Swedes and this year is absolutely no different. Between Lekkerimaki, Tom Willander, and the other Elias Pettersson, Canucks fans had might as well just cheer for Team Sweden. Lekkerimaki is the best of the bunch: the 5’11” right wing has 10 goals in 24 SHL games with Orebro this season.

Vegas Golden Knights: Matyas Sapovaliv (Czechia) — The Golden Knights also have David Edstrom, who should slot in as a middle-sixer for Team Sweden, but Sapovaliv is older and coming off a terrific showing for the Czechs last year. The 6’4″ center had seven assists in seven games in 2023 as Team Czechia won silver; entering this year’s World Juniors, Sapovaliv is riding an eight-game point streak with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

Washington Capitals: Ryan Leonard (USA) — It’s been a long time since the Capitals had a top-10 pick take part in the World Juniors. You’d have to go all the way back to 2008, when Karl Alzner suited up for Team Canada. Now, it’s Leonard’s turn. The Boston College standout is projected to start on Team USA’s second line but has the upside as a scoring power forward to be a game-breaker for the gold medal favorites.

Winnipeg Jets: Rutger McGroarty (USA) — Although McGroarty has missed a decent chunk of this season after being injured last month, the 2022 first-round pick looks to be healthy enough to participate in this year’s tournament. Good thing, too: McGroarty was a point-per-game guy for Team USA last year and is likely to slot in on the top line this time around, potentially with Cutter Gauthier (PHI) as his center. That’d be a dangerous combo.

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