Top 20 NHL prospects to watch at the 2025 World Juniors
The 2025 World Juniors are set to kick off on Thursday, Dec. 26 in Ottawa, Ontario, pitting many of the top prospects in the NHL together to chase international glory.
A total of four full-time NHLers are still eligible for the tournament: Canada’s Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini and Zach Benson, as well as the United States’ Will Smith. None of them were really real threats to participate in the tournament, especially Bedard, who lit the tournament on fire two years ago. So, for the most part, it’s as close to best-on-best as you’ll find at a tournament like this – the premier international junior hockey showcase.
We’ve been previewing the tournament all month long, looking at each team and the players on them. Today, we’re looking at 20 of the best prospects heading to Ottawa to attempt to win gold this year:
Berkly Catton, C, Canada (Seattle Kraken)
The Seattle Kraken prospect has been one of the most productive CHLers over the past two years, and he’s only getting better the more he plays. He’s a dynamic center who can score and set guys up, and it’s expected that he’s going to carry a ton of responsibility on this team. Don’t be surprised if Catton is playing on the top line at this tournament before making a run at Seattle’s roster next season.
Easton Cowan, RW, Canada (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Cowan enters the tournament riding the high of an unofficial 56-game regular season point streak in OHL action. He sat out Canada’s camp – outside of individual skates – after leaving the last London Knights game with a concussion. He will be ready to go, though, and will play a bigger role than the bottom-line spot he had a year ago. Since then, he won OHL regular season and playoff MVP, led the Knights to an OHL title and established himself as Toronto’s true No. 1 prospect. It’ll be interesting to see if they have him killing penalties, but he will be counted on to put a bunch of points on the board.
Calum Ritchie, C, Canada (Colorado Avalanche)
Ritchie is one of three Canadian players to have NHL experience – the others being Nadeau and Jett Luchanko. The Oakville, Ontario native had one goal in seven games with the Avs after filling a role with the team missing key players at the start of the season. Since returning back to the Oshawa Generals, Ritchie has put up 34 points in 18 games to help put him on pace for over 100 points for the first time in his career. Ritchie was a big part of Canada’s bronze medal effort at the 2023 U-18 World Championship, registering nine points in seven games. He also won gold at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with 10 points in five outings.
Bradly Nadeau, LW, Canada (Carolina Hurricanes)
Speaking of Nadeau, we’ll see if his AHL experience comes in handy. The Hurricanes product is having a good first season with the Chicago Wolves, where he is on pace for more than 40 points as a rookie. He was on a bit of a hot stretch prior to the team being named, so that’s a good sign, too. Nadeau has one of the best shots on this team, and his experience playing against pros should come in handy. This will be Nadeau’s first major international tournament with Canada after spending most of his development time in the BCHL and NCAA.
Eduard Šalé, RW, Czechia (Seattle Kraken)
There was always the chance Šalé could have not been loaned out and instead stayed in the AHL, where he’s with Coachella Valley. Šalé will be counted on to be a leader in his third tournament showing. The winger has 13 points in 14 games over two years, and while inconsistency can plague him at points, he’s still the best the team has up front.
Adam Jiříček, D, Czechia (St. Louis Blues)
An injury shortened his draft season to just 19 games with HC Plzen last year and he hasn’t played since Nov. 6 this year with another injury. So the Czechs will hope that Jiříček is up to speed, but he simply just hasn’t played a ton of hockey the past two years. When he’s healthy, Jiříček is a two-way defenseman who doesn’t make many mistakes with the puck. He might not be high-end in any particular category, but his versatility all over the ice makes him exciting.
Adam Jecho, RW, Czechia (St. Louis Blues)
Speaking of Blues prospects, Jecho is ready to make a big impact with the Czechs – literally. He is a 6-foot-5 power forward who loves to control the puck. He doesn’t need to use his size to crush guys – instead, he plays with finesse and skill in open ice. And he’s an excellent skater, too. After what felt like a decade of watching him perform well at the U-18 level, it’s time for Jecho to make his mark at the World Juniors.
Konsta Helenius, C, Finland (Buffalo Sabres)
Last year was a busy one for Helenius. On top of putting up some incredible numbers in the top Finnish league, he also represented Finland at the World Juniors, U-18 World Championship and the senior World Championship. He has adjusted to life in the AHL quite quickly, registering six goals and 16 points in 26 games with the Rochester Americans. Look for the confident, smart, skilled center to take center stage at this tournament.
Jesse Kiiskinen, RW, Finland (Detroit Red Wings)
Kiiskinen is set to make his return after a solid showing back in Sweden a year ago. The winger hasn’t slowed down in his Draft+2 campaign and is on pace to finish with just under 50 points with HPK in Liiga this year. Those are some incredible numbers for a U-20 player, and he’s almost always one of Finland’s top players whenever he hits the ice.
Dalibor Dvorsky, C, Slovakia (St. Louis Blues)
Not only is Dvorsky the backbone of this Slovak team, but he might be one of the best players in the tournament, period. He’s on pace for around 60 points, which would give him one of the most productive U-20 AHL seasons of the 21st Century. This will be his fifth and final World Juniors (if you include the canceled tournament, like Strbak), with the center sitting at 11 points in 14 career games. Dvorsky is 11 points behind Richard Panik for the all-time tournament-scoring lead among Slovak players, which could be a tough hill to overcome. At the very least, Dvorsky should put himself in the top three.
Maxim Strbak, D, Slovakia (Buffalo Sabres)
The Sabres prospect is set to play in his fifth World Juniors (if you count the canceled 2022 tourney) and eighth major IIHF tourney dating back to 2022. The Michigan State University defenseman is having a great season and will be counted on as both a leader and a play-driver on Slovakia’s back end. If Strbak plays as well as he’s capable of – just like how he has played with Michigan State University – the Slovaks will be in good shape.
Axel Sandin Pellikka, D, Sweden (Detroit Red Wings)
Sandin Pellikka has been making Detroit Red Wings fans giddy with the prospect of seeing him in the NHL in the next few years. The skilled, puck-moving blueliner was named top defenseman at this event a year ago and has a realistic opportunity to become just the second player in tournament history to win it twice after Slava Fetisov took the title in 1977 and 1978. Sweden has a legitimate shot to challenge for gold yet again this year, and if ASP plays like he did last year, it’s very possible they’ll get revenge for the early exit last year.
Theo Lindstein, D, Sweden (St. Louis Blues)
Gee, another Blues prospect – who knew? Lindstein was a late addition to the roster, but he was such a two-way force. With ASP manning the right side, look for Lindstein to play all situations for Sweden on the left side. He’s playing full-time with Brynas, and while he’s not doing a ton offensively, he’s still one of the more skilled puck-rushing defenders you’ll find at this tournament.
Tom Willander, D, Sweden (Vancouver Canucks)
The 19-year-old is having another solid year at Boston University and will hopefully continue that trend when he makes his final junior hockey tournament appearance. Willander might not be as skilled as the other two Swedes listed above, but he’s so smart, calm and poised with the puck and rarely isn’t one of the best players on the ice at any given time. Willander also loves rushing the puck up the ice, and while he can make the odd mistake, he’s capable of playing important situations for the Tre Kronor.
Otto Stenberg, C, Sweden (St. Louis Blues)
Remember when Stenberg broke through with a hat-trick against Germany last year? It was the highlight from an outstanding game for the Blues prospect that saw him register a point in all seven games. Stenberg is back and looking even better – he has nine points in nine exhibition games with the Swedes this year. He’s also on pace to double his scoring output in the SHL this year, which doesn’t hurt. Look for Stenberg – who seems to always be incredible internationally – to be one of the driving forces of this group.
Felix Unger Sorum, LW, Sweden (Carolina Hurricanes)
He’s having a quiet year offensively with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, but he’s a buzzsaw that does so much on the ice every single night. The Hurricanes really believe in him, and I think he could be one of the top players in the World Juniors this year if he finds his groove early. And you should bet on that – Unger Sorum performs well when he’s donning the yellow and blue. His experience playing against top-quality competition in the AHL should prepare him well for his final WJC.
Ryan Leonard, RW, USA (Washington Capitals)
Leonard could have easily turned pro and chased a top-six spot with the Capitals at just 19. But the opportunity to be a leader on the United States for a second straight year was too alluring for the Boston College standout. Leonard has been so dangerous back in the NCAA and he has been one of USA’s best forwards at every junior tournament he has played in. He even skated at the senior World Championship back in May, albeit in a limited role. Still, Leonard is going to be one of the biggest keys for success if the Americans are going to repeat as champions.
Gabe Perreault, LW, USA (New York Rangers)
The Rangers have had a tough time converting their young talent into franchise pieces. Will that change with Perreault? The skilled forward has been one of the most productive players in college the past two years. He’s also a better skater than when he was drafted, helping to ease some of those earlier concerns. Perreault had 10 points at this tournament a year ago, but 15 points doesn’t seem out of the question this year, especially with his good pal Leonard by his side.
Trey Augustine, G, USA (Detroit Red Wings)
Augustine is the top goaltender in the tournament, and is one of the best goalie prospects across the NHL, period. Augustine is putting up some outstanding numbers as a college sophomore, registering an 11-2-1 record with two shutouts and a .930 save percentage. He has a great team in front of him, sure, but Augustine has managed to be an absolute star at every level he has ever played in and has a near-perfect record at the World Juniors, too.
Zeev Buium, D, USA (Minnesota Wild)
Buium will be one of USA’s most important players after pushing his way up the lineup a year ago. he is so good at controlling the puck and might be one of the best passers of any defenseman in this class. He’s a top-end transition defender with incredible hockey sense, allowing him to put up the incredible numbers we saw all season long.
Other notables: Brayden Yager, C, Canada (Winnipeg Jets), Oliver Bonk, D, Canada (Philadelphia Flyers), Jett Luchanko, C, Canada (Philadelphia Flyers), Oliver Moore, C, USA (Chicago Blackhawks), Trevor Connelly, LW, USA (Vegas Golden Knights), Kasper Halttunen, RW (San Jose Sharks)
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