2024 World U-17 Hockey Challenge Roundup: The top players from Day 1
SARNIA, Ont. – The 2024 World U-17 Hockey Challenge is underway.
Four of the six teams kicked off the action at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena on Sunday, with Canada White beating Czechia 6-2 and Canada Red fending off Finland 3-1. If they were public, the puck possession numbers would show that the two Canadian squads dominated their respective games, something that didn’t bother the hometown fans.
The tournament is the first major international event for prospects set for the 2026 and 2027 NHL Drafts. Many hockey superstars made a name for themselves at this tournament – Jack Hughes, Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Cole Caufield, John Tavares, Clayton Keller, Brayden Schenn and Nathan MacKinnon are among the most notable talents that have participated at one time or another. James Hagens, the projected No. 1 prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, owns the tournament scoring record with 21 points in seven games in 2022.
I was in Sarnia on Sunday to get a close look at the action – here’s a look at my top performers from today:
Canada White
#5 Ethan Belchetz, LW (2026): Belchetz likes to make an impression out there. From some notable hits to the 2-1 goal late in the first period, Belchetz opened the game with an excellent period. He also drew a penalty, landed some big hits and nabbed an assist in the third. Belchetz was one of the guys scouts are keeping a close eye on this week – one told me that he plays the “right type of nasty and has the skill to back it up.”
#1 Antoine Proulx, G (2026): He allowed two goals in the first, including one on the second shot. But for the most part, the small goaltender looked great. He made some big glove stops, his blocker was active and he did an excellent job of tracking shots. It wasn’t the busiest game, especially later on, but Proulx had the best goaltending effort of Day 1.
#21 Adam Valentini, C (2026): With two goals, two assists and two penalties, Valentini was everywhere today. He made a nice pass on Belchetz’s goal, and then showed some excellent chemistry with Logan Hawery. Valentini was someone people pegged as a threat to win the scoring title, and I don’t doubt it.
#14 Jean-Cristoph Lemieux, RW (2026): Lemieux was Canada’s 13th forward but his impact was anything but minor. He had a goal and two assists and made some smart, creative plays in the offensive zone that could have resulted in something more had luck worked out.
Czechia
#20 Dominik Ripa, C (2026): I loved Ripa’s energy, and he came so close to making it 1-0 early on. At 5-foot-9, Ripa can fly around there with ease and is good as both a finisher and a set-up guy. I think he’ll pot a few this week.
#2 Martin Psohlavec, G (2026): Canada could have easily popped a few in the early barrage, but Psohlavec looked strong. That helped give his team energy, which led to them scoring the opening goal – with Psohlavec making a big stop earlier in the play to help get things started. It fell apart for Psohlavec in the end, but he got left out to dry a bit too often.
#22 David Huk, C (2027): The result turned out ugly, but Huk scored a goal and had a few other good looks. One of the youngest players in the tournament, Huk was tasked with centering Czechia’s top line and I thought he was their best forward tonight. He’s relentless, and he’s got an excellent shot, too. Keep an eye on him for 2027.
Canada Red
#21 Joe Iginla, RW (2026): I loved Iginla’s effort – he worked so hard out there and forced Finland to give the puck away a few times in the offensive zone. While he’s not as strong as his brother, Tij, Joe made up for it with his quick footwork and determination to never lose a battle.
#5 Carter Hicks, D (2026): The Windsor Spitfires defender was thrown out to shut guys down, and he did just that. Especially on the penalty kill, where it felt like the Finns couldn’t beat him whenever he was on the ice. Hicks can be deceptively fast – starting slow before turning on the jets and taking space away. Overall, I thought he looked excellent.
#9 Landon Dupont, D (2027): This was the first time I saw the 2027 draft wunderkind in person and it was hard to not be impressed. He started the play that made it 2-0 in the third period and made a handful of great set-up passes from the point on the power play. The way Dupont moves the puck is so slick, and I think it’s only a matter of time until the hockey world sees how special of a young defender he is.
Finland
#1 Pyry Lammi, G (2026): Lammi is small at 5-foot-10 and he can be caught having to overcompensate by moving a lot more than he needs to. But when the Finns found themselves doing a whole lot of nothing in the first half, Lammi was excellent, turning away the Canadian Red onslaught that occurred early in the second. It probably should have been more lopsided, but Lammi kept his team in it.
#19 Vilho Vanhatalo, RW (2026): I loved his energy, the way he hit and the pure power he played with. Vanhatalo was on Finland’s fourth line, but he played a lot on the power play and was one of the few players who looked to have pushed the envelope with the puck. Being 6-foot-3 in a tournament where the majority of players are below 6-foot doesn’t hurt, either.
SPONSORED BY bet365