World Junior A Challenge Preview: 2023 NHL Draft prospects to watch

Dec 11, 2022, 09:01 ESTUpdated: Dec 11, 2022, 09:09 EST

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Like many other prospect showcases during the COVID-19 era, the World Junior A Challenge was put on hold for two years before making its triumphant return.

The five-team tournament heads to Cornwall, Ont. this weekend, with Canada (split into East and West), USA, Sweden and Latvia making up the lineup. It’s a weird, but fun tournament put on by Hockey Canada every year before the World Junior Championship, with Canada’s two clubs boasting its top Junior A talent from the CJHL. The BCHL, typically seen as the best Jr. A league in Canada, backed out of the CJHL a few years ago, with Hockey Canada electing to skip them altogether.

For USA, they bring a select team of players in the USHL. Some are drafted, others looking to hear their names called They’re typically one of the better teams, having won a medal in every year they’ve participated. Russia were the defending champions, but they weren’t invited due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. So that makes Sweden – a team filled with quality 2023 NHL Draft prospects – the team to watch, and one most expect to skate away with gold.

Latvia’s lineup will be made up of U-18 talent, mainly from Riga, in preparation for the U-18 World Championship in Switzerland in April. They don’t have any truly noteworthy prospects on the squad this year, which is why none made the following list.

It’s a weird tournament, but one many scouts keep a close eye on. Here’s a look at 10 notable names to watch in Cornwall over the next week:

Zeb Forsfjall, C (Sweden)

The younger brother of 2022 World Junior Championship defenseman Mans Forsfjall, Zeb could use this tournament to help boost him into the first round. The Skelleftea U-20 captain has been good playing against older kids despite being smaller at 5-foot-9, with his speed and craftiness with the puck helping to take him further. Forsfjall had a strong Hlinka Gretzky a few months back, but he hasn’t played a ton in the past few weeks. Expect him to start the tournament off hungry.

Otto Stenberg, C (Sweden)

When Stenberg gets possession of the puck, you notice. He’s a skilled forward with a penchant for highlight-reel goals and plays fast and dangerously. He’s got experience at center and the wing and has been successful at both, which gives him some extra versatility. He started the year off with a great Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and has continued it with excellent play in the Swedish U-18 league. Stenberg also has some SHL experience, which could help him against typically weaker competition in Cornwall.

Tom Willander, D (Sweden)

With Axel Sandin Pellikka playing with Sweden’s World Junior Championship team, Willander is the one to watch in Cornwall. A mid-round prospect at this point, Willander has had a good season in the Swedish U-20 league and has two games to his credit with Rogle’s SHL team. Willander doesn’t have much offensive upside, but he uses his speed to get to corners and get the puck out of the zone and start the rush. He’ll get some power play time, but don’t expect him to shoot much – at the very least, he’ll make sure it never crosses the blueline while he’s on the ice. If he can produce a bit more, I think more scouts would be talking about him, so this could be a good opportunity for him.

Noel Nordh, LW/RW (Sweden)

Sticking with the Swedish theme, Nordh brings a nice mix of size and skill to the lineup. He’s not afraid to get in your face, and at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds, he’s tough to strip the puck off of at speed. He has also seen some SHL action this year but has spent most of the year with Brynas’ U-20 team, where he has 11 points in 18 games as an underage player. He skates well, works extremely hard and has good puck skills. His game is still a work in progress, especially regarding decision-making under pressure, but he’ll go in the top 50 next summer.

Andrew Strathmann, D (USA)

There’s a lot to like about Strathmann’s game. He’s a University of North Dakota commit with an outside shot to go in the first round. He’s putting up nearly a point-per-game while also playing close to a 100-penalty minute pace for the second year in a row. The Youngstown Phantoms star can absolutely terrorize players and will do so with a smile on his face. The aggressiveness was always there, but he’s been a big contributor on the scoresheet this year too and had a generally solid effort at the Hlinka Gretzky despite USA being overmatched. Outside of the obvious Swedes, he’s my guy to watch.

Gavin McCarthy, D (USA)

McCarthy, a Boston University commit, hasn’t gotten much praise in the public scouting community, but there could be something here. The Muskegon Lumberjacks defenseman has been hovering around the point-per-game mark in his second year in the USHL and has experience with USA at the U-17 and U-18 level. McCarthy didn’t produce much at the Hlinka, but he was a defensive force around his own net. He loses a few too many puck battles against bigger competition, but he’s a raw prospect with potential. And while I focused a bit on USA’s defense at this tournament, look for forward Tanner Adams to be a big contributor.

Aiden Fink, RW (Canada West)

The Brooks Bandits have been a powerhouse for a long time in the AJHL, so it’s no surprise they’re sending five players to an AJ-dominated Canada West team. Fink has a whopping 67 points in 33 games so far this year, good for first in league scoring and on pace for 122 points. For context, only two U-18 AJHLers have managed to crack the 100-point barrier since 2000, with Edmonton Oilers prospect Carter Savoie coming so close with 99 in 2019-20.

Aiden Celebrini, D (Canada West)

Another Bandit, the brother of top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Macklin Celebrini earned a C-status on the NHL Central Scouting’s initial watch list earlier this year, projecting him to be a late-round prospect. While he doesn’t have the offensive flair Macklin does (he’s a forward, after all), Celebrini’s ability to read plays at a high level makes him one to watch. He’s very aggressive, showing a willingness to lay out an opponent to gain access to the puck. A Boston University commit, he could end up being one of the toughest defensemen to go 1-on-1 against in Cornwall over the next week.

Giacomo Martino, C (Canada East)

The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes prospect Ayrton Martino, Giacomo is making noise in the OJHL this year. He’s up to 34 points in 30 games on a St. Mike’s Buzzers team that’s midpack in the ECHL, but he’s showing he can be a skilled, speedy, smart forward like Ayrton. Martino, a Northeastern commit, is no stranger to pulling off truly eye-popping dekes and you can count on him to work his butt off to get pucks towards the net. He’s more of a late-round prospect, but this will be a true testament of what he can do with quality players around him.

Ty Campbell, D (Canada East)

After winning the CCHL’s top prospect award a year ago, Campbell is looking to build upon that momentum in his national team debut. The Clarkson University commit is on pace to double his 14-point output as a rookie, but it’s his on-the-edge play style that gets scouts watching him. He was given a C-rating by the NHL’s CSS, and a good showing on a team full of opportunities could do him well in the draft department.

Other notables: Tanner Adams, RW (USA), Sam Court, D (Canada West), Noah Erliden, G (Sweden), Kalle Carlsson, C (Sweden), Noah Dower Nilsson (C, Sweden)

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