2025 NHL Draft: Five players who’ve boosted their stocks at U-18 World Championship

Apr 30, 2025, 10:00 EDT

Credit: Lev Katzin (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

The 2025 U-18 World Championship has been a bit of a mixed bag so far – but that’s to be expected from the round robin.

The real fun in Texas begins on Wednesday, with all 10 teams in play in either quarterfinal or relegation action. Canada and the United States won their respective groups, with Sweden and Finland also showing some muscle. We haven’t seen any truly incredible performances like we had with James Hagens or Gavin McKenna a year ago, but there’s still time for that.

The primary focus of this tournament is watching the 2025 NHL Draft prospects take center stage. These five might not be stars – and some might not even get drafted. But they’re putting their best foot forward when it matters most. Not one of them appeared on Daily Faceoff’s most recent NHL Draft rankings, for what it’s worth:

Lev Katzin, LW (Canada)

NHL Central Scouting: 142 NA

After watching him and Braeden Cootes putting on beautiful displays at U-18 training camp, Katzin established himself as a top-line winger on this team. I remember the first time I watched Katzin play back in 2022 – he was easily one of the most skilled prospects in the GTHL. The next year, he put up 143 points in 81 games with the Toronto Marlboros en route to a league title. Despite that, he told scouts he was headed to the USHL and spent last year putting up decent-at-best numbers with Green Bay. But a move to the OHL this past year helped spark his draft stock, as he averaged more than a point-per-game with the Guelph Storm.

Still, he wasn’t high on anyone’s draft radar. But he has consistently been one of Canada’s best players, especially on the power play. He’s been setting players up at speed and he’s got a decent shot as well, too. The biggest thing against him is his smaller frame – at 5-foot-8, he’s not strong or dynamic enough in the eyes of many scouts. But just about every time he’s at a showcase event, he’s making something happen. This past week has been outstanding for the Thornhill, Ontario native.

Eeto Orpana, C (Finland)

NHL Central Scouting: 68 EU

I didn’t have much of a book on Orpana before the tournament (he didn’t play at the Hlinka) but that quickly changed. The hard-nosed center had a great couple games against Latvia (four points) and Norway (two) and I thought he battled really hard against Canada, too.

The 6-foot-1 forward brings a lot of energy to the table and has a bit more skill than his limited Finnish U-20 production would suggest. I like him more as a setup guy, but he’s also strong defensively. I’m not convinced he’ll be drafted this year, but I do see someone who tries his hardest to make everyone around him better, and I think he did enough in the first four games of this tournament to receive some extra attention.

Lasse Boelius, D (Finland)

NHL Central Scouting: 12 EU

Boelius was the highest-ranked prospect on this list. He was the only Finnish defender I have much interest in and I really liked him at the Hlinka Gretzky, despite his team getting caved in every night. But from there, Boelius played some great hockey throughout the year, showing promise in his limited Liiga play with Assat and with the Finnish U-18 team in other competitions.

Boelius had five points in four games in the round robin, highlighted by a three-point effort against Latvia. I think the coaching staff also did a good job of limiting his playing time and keeping him fresh. He played 13 minutes against Norway and never more than 17 against Slovakia and Latvia. He played 21 minutes against Canada in a 5-1 loss, but he finished at an even plus-minus (which is hard to believe given his matchups) and he led the team with six shots on net. Boelius is a high-end puck-mover who loves the disk on his stick and I think he’d garner more attention if he was a few inches taller. Still, I could see a team taking a shot on him in the second round.

Maxim Schäfer, RW (Germany)

NHL Central Scouting: 102 EU

The internet scouting community loves Schäfer, and it’s easy to understand why. He’s a 6-foot-4 forward who moves well and is impossible to budge in front of the net. He spent more time playing against pros in the top German league this year after absolutely torching the U-20 ranks. Internationally, he was great at the World Juniors, and even better at the U-18s – his two goals against Czechia in the opener helped them pull off an upset victory.

Unlike many other big forwards, Schäfer doesn’t play a heavily physical game – and that’s because he beats players with his speed and mobility. He’s so difficult to push out around the net and he’s got the power behind the shot to make him extremely dangerous. Here’s my maybe-not-so-bold take: Schäfer would be a top 70 prospect if he played in North America this year.

Filip Ekberg, LW (Sweden)

NHL Central Scouting: 178 NA

Ekberg was on my initial NHL Draft list, but an underwhelming start to his time in North America knocked him down a few pegs. In fact, he was usually one of my last cuts – I could see the real skill but the execution wasn’t there. Then some scouts started to point how coach Dave Cameron used him in Ottawa and it started to make sense.

Now, he’s fully unlocked with Sweden and he’s gunning for MVP honors. He had an insane five-point effort against Switzerland before registering another three assists against Germany. He had points in each of the round-robin games and consistently looked so dangerous. Ekberg leads the way with 13 points in four games – it’s not crazy to think he could come close to matching James Hagens’ record-breaking run of 20 points from a year ago. Ekberg has been so good with Sweden all year long, no matter the event. While some might criticize coach Thomas Paananen, it’s clear he knows how to get the most out of Ekberg this year.

Other notables: Rasmus Pakarinen, LW (Finland); Reinis Auzins, D (Latvia); LJ Mooney, RW (USA)

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