Top 25 Players to watch at the 2024 World Junior Championship

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

The NBA had its mid-season tournament. Cool. Hockey fans have the World Junior Championship. And it’s much, much better.

Few events get hockey fans talking like the WJC, pitting the best teenagers in the world against each other for our entertainment. It’s where so many players got exposed to the general public, including Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Connor Bedard and, of course, Wayne Gretzky.

But you know all that. The world juniors are a hockey tradition like none other, and this year will be no different.

This year’s edition will take place in Sweden from Dec. 26 – Jan. 5. Canada is looking to win gold for the third consecutive year, but USA, Finland and Sweden have different plans.

Here’s a look at 25 players to watch at the 2024 World Junior Championship – and if you want more WJC content, check out our preview hub:

Matthew Poitras, C, Canada (Boston Bruins)

The most experienced NHLer at this year’s tournament, all Poitras has done is turn heads. He went from being a standout OHLer to a crucial piece of Boston’s success early on. Going to the World Juniors and getting that crucial ice time could be massive for his development in a year where Poitras has done so much to improve his stock as a prospect. A stout playmaker, Poitras will be one of the best players in this tournament.

Macklin Celebrini, C, Canada (2024 NHL Draft)

No matter who Celebrini plays with, you should fully expect him to be near the top of the scoring charge. No 17-year-old will be as important to their team as Celebrini, who’s having a dominant freshman season with Boston University. He was Canada’s best player in camp, looked good in the pretournament and now he’s set to introduce himself to the common fan ahead of going first overall in the NHL Draft.

*Cutter Gauthier (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Cutter Gauthier, C, USA (Philadelphia Flyers)

There’s an argument to be made that Gauthier could have been played in the NHL this year. His size, skill, speed and smarts with the puck are pro-level already, and it allowed him to have such an impactful IIHF World Championship last spring. With Logan Cooley not being loaned out by Arizona, Gauthier was the clear option to be the No. 1 center. Expect him to be a serious contender for tournament MVP honors.

Will Smith/Gabe Perreault/Ryan Leonard, F, USA (San Jose Sharks/Washington Capitals/New York Rangers)

These three had to be paired together, given they’ve been attached at the hip for three years now. Smith is the driving force between them, a group that have stuck together for the past three years since beginning their journey with the USNTDP. Leonard has the size and the drive to generate chances from anywhere, while Perreault is more of the finisher coming off the most productive season in USNTDP history. Keep them together, play them on the power play, and boom. Success. They’ve proved it time and time again.

Dalibor Dvorsky, RW, Slovakia (St. Louis Blues)

When he’s hot, he’s hot. For every difficult stretch he’s had against men, there’s his near-MVP level performance at the U-18 World Championship or his dominant play with the Sudbury Wolves. Dvorsky was scoring at a 50-goal pace before heading to Sweden, and he tends to perform well on the bigger ice. If the Slovaks manage to go far, Dvorsky will be a big reason why.

Denton Mateychuk, D, Canada (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Mateychuk entered Canada’s training camp with points in 23 of 24 WHL games, which is absurd. He then scored a pair of goals against Denmark, showing that he wasn’t missing a beat after over a week away from game action. Mateychuk’s ability to dominate the puck-possession game from the point has been so important for the Moose Jaw Warriors, and it will be extra important for Canada as the team’s No. 1 D-man.

*Matthew Savoie (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Matthew Savoie, LW, Canada (Buffalo Sabres)

Since joining the Wenatchee Wild, Savoie has been one of the league’s top-scoring threats with 11 goals and 24 points in just 11 games. Savoie’s speed, skill and creativity has made him one of the best prospects in the game today. And he’s finally about to showcase that on the international stage for the first time since getting drafted ninth overall in 2022.

Lane Hutson, D, USA (Montreal Canadiens)

You’ve seen the highlights. You’ve seen the numbers. And now, Hutson is ready to make some noise as the United States’ No. 1 defenseman. The Boston University star is a great skater, moves the puck well and is destined to lead the team’s top power-play unit, among other things. Hutson showed he could handle the big ice at the U-18 level, taking advantage of the extra space.

Jiri Kulich, C, Czechia (Buffalo Sabres)

Kulich led Czechia with seven goals and nine points en route to a silver medal back in 2023. Since then, he has emerged as one of the best players in the AHL, and is fresh off of his NHL debut with the Sabres a few weeks ago. Kulich is one of the best players in this tournament, and he seems to always excel internationally, which helps.

*Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Jonathan Lekkerimäki, RW, Sweden (Vancouver Canucks)

It’s hard to trust Lekkerimäki at points, given we’ve seen the absolute highs and absolute lows of him wearing the Tre Kronor. He struggled with Djurgardens for most of last year and had too many off nights at the world juniors, but he’s been lights out ever since the Allsvenskan qualification round last year. The Swedes need Lekkerimäki to step up in his third and final tournament appearance, and he’s definitely capable of it.

Axel Sandin Pellikka, D, Sweden (Detroit Red Wings)

ASP’s two-way game makes him one of the more exciting defensemen in the tournament. He was a superstar at the U-18s but struggled at the World Junior Summer Showcase. But based on what we’ve seen against men the past two years in the SHL, Sanin Pellikka looks like a defender ready to eat minutes and contend for the top defender title.

Konsta Helenius, C, Finland (2024 NHL Draft)

It’s rare to see a draft-eligible prospect take the reigns as a No. 1 center on a contending team, but Helenius deserves it. He has stood out as the highest-scoring U-20 national team player in 2023 while also producing one of the best U-18 seasons in recent Liiga history. This tournament could be Helenius’ opportunity to establish himself as a top-five pick next June.

*Konsta Helenius (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Lenni Hämeenaho, RW, Finland (New Jersey Devils)

Hämeenaho was Finland’s best player at the World Junior Summer Showcase, and now he’s on pace for a 40-point sophomore campaign with Assat in the top Finnish league. He’s a goal-scorer, on pace for 25 this year, but it was his heads-up passing and quick decision-making that stood out over the summer. He’s my dark horse pick to win the WJC scoring race.

Adam Gajan, G, Slovakia (Chicago Blackhawks)

Gajan was the Slovakian hero last year, leading the squad to a shocking win over the United States before narrowly beating out Canada in the quarterfinal. That helped put Gajan on the draft radar, leading the Blackhawks to take him 35th overall in 2023. The 6-foot-3 University of Minnesota-Duluth commit is one of the best goaltenders in the tournament, and we already know he’s capable of stealing wins. He’ll need to if the Slovaks are going to fight for a medal.

*Jacob Fowler (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Trey Augustine/Jacob Fowler, G, USA (Detroit Red Wings/Montreal Canadiens)

Having one good goaltender is a tall task for any team at this tournament. But how about two capable of being a starter on every other team? It’ll be interesting to see how the Americans handle the split duties between Augustine and Fowler, who have taken like fish to water in the NCAA. Augustine has the pedigree as the No. 1 last year, but Fowler has been better in college this year. Either way, it’s hard to go wrong here.

Noah Östlund, C, Sweden (Buffalo Sabres)

Ostlund battled back from injury earlier this month, but looked 100 percent in his first pretournament game – scoring a goal. The Swedes have multiple high-scoring options, but Östlund’s willingness to put himself anywhere in the offensive zone should pay off. Östlund had a decent showing last year, but the stakes are higher at home for the 19-year-old.

Conor Geekie, C, Canada (Arizona Coyotes)

At 6-foot-4, Canada’s biggest forward is hoping to have a similar-sized impact on Canada’s top line. The Wenatchee Wild star has figured out how to use his size to his advantage, adding to an already expansive skill set that allows him to dominate with his two-way game. Geekie and Matt Savoie know a thing or two about producing together.

Seamus Casey, D, USA (New Jersey Devils)

Casey has been excellent with the University of Michigan, filling the offensive role left behind by Luke Hughes. And he’s not afraid to land massive open-ice hits, either. Casey can play the power play, or just act as a fourth forward at times, too. I wanted to see Casey on this last year, but I fully expect him to play a leading role with this group – the favorites to win gold.

Rutger McGroarty, LW, USA (Winnipeg Jets)

McGroarty wore a red no-contact jersey in camp, but you couldn’t tell he was dealing with anything after suffering an injury a few weeks back. The big University of Michigan winger plays with pace, and he was the team’s top set-up man last year in Canada. Recently named captain, McGroarty can take over shifts with his high energy and compete level. With Gauthier and Jimmy Snuggerud as linemates, expect McGroarty to hit double-digit points.

*Filip Bystedt (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Filip Bystedt, C, Sweden (San Jose Sharks)

Against men, Bystedt has had some rather ordinary performances. But when he dons the yellow and blue, it’s like he’s built different. Bystedt was a standout at the World Junior Summer Showcase and had 10 points in this event last year. Few Swedish prospects have been more productive with the U-20 team over the past two years, and they’ll expect more of that this time around.

Liam Öhgren, LW, Sweden (Minnesota Wild)

Injuries have limited Ohgren to just 10 games throughout the year, but we’ve seen how big of an impact he can have in the past. He had two quiet WJCs in a row, but he’ll be counted on in a bigger role this time. He stepped into Farjestad and scored in just his second game back and then again in his last game before camp, giving him a bit of momentum. Expect the Swedes to rely on their captain heavily.

Filip Mešár, RW, Slovakia (Montreal Canadiens)

With Juraj Slafkovsky staying in Montreal, could it be another Habs draft pick that stands out for the Slovaks? Mešár has come into his own with Kitchener this year, plugging away at a near 90-point pace in his second year with the club. He has a handful of AHL games played with Laval the past two years, and it feels like that experience has forced him to play with more urgency.

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