U-18 Men’s World Championship: Who stood out on Day 3

Credit: Cole Eiserman (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

ESPOO, Fin. – Not every gameday is going to be intriguing.

The third day of play at the 2024 U-18 World Championship in Finland was dominated by blowouts. In Vantaa, Sweden skated to a dominant 7-1 win in a game that actually saw the Swedes leading by just one goal heading into the first intermission. In Espoo, USA was in control from the get-go, blasting Norway 8-2 to improve to 2-0 in Group A.

Saturday was the first two-game day of the tournament, with Monday being the other. Both USA and Sweden will look to keep things rolling on Sunday, with the Americans facing off against Latvia and Sweden taking on Czechia.

Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis took a look at the standouts for USA and Norway, while news writer checked out Sweden vs. Kazakhstan:

USA

#34 Cole Eiserman, LW: Get ready to see his name here once again in every single game. He’s now three goals behind Cole Caufield for the all-time USNTDP scoring lead, scoring the first and third goals to get his team moving early. I also liked his backchecking effort, although I felt like his passing ended at least two other dangerous scoring chances.

#23 Cole Hutson, D: It was another great two-way game for Hutson, who had some good work that led to the third and fourth goals for the Americans. He was much more physical than we’re used to seeing, getting chippy on a few occasions. It reminded me a bit of watching his brother at the World Junior Summer Showcase, where he made every effort possible to get in an opponent’s head.

#16 Logan Hensler, D (2025): Hensler won’t last long at the 2025 NHL Draft. He’s smart, calm and while his offensive traits lack compared to Hutson’s, he still managed to score the seventh goal after a bit of penalty trouble by the Americans. Hensler has a good 6-foot-2 frame and his mobile for his size, taking away angles quickly and effectively.

#25 LJ Mooney, RW (2025): Mooney scoots around the ice so well, and he was the catalyst for the scoring chances the third line produced today. He scored his first of the tournament to help put the game away, and he even engaged well physically for someone standing at just 5-foot-7. With his speed and skill, if he can just grow to 5-foot-9, he’ll become a legit top-six threat in the NHL.

#10 James Hagens, C (2025): Gee, who would have thought we’d see Hagens here? The No. 1 center had a goal and two assists to improve to improve to seven points in two games. The top prospect in 2025 got caught trying to do a bit too much at times today, but he clearly has the skill to make things happen.

Norway

#22 Elias Vatne, LW: I really liked Vatne’s game today. He battled hard, even against stronger, more physical players. He made some good passes that died on occasion, but that’s mostly because nobody was skilled enough to handle them. Vatne was rewarded with an assist on the 8-2 goal, though. He has the speed and skill to do some damage against a team closer to Norway’s skill level.

#17 Mathias Dehli, C: A potential late-round pick this year, Dehli scored the second goal on the power play to give the Norweigan fans in attendance something to smile about. He showed good speed and battled hard along the boards in a game where he actually looked quite solid despite the score. I’m not sure what his potential is, but he was one of the guys I wanted to see today.

Sweden

#21 Jacob Ihs Wozniak, RW (2025): The J20 point leader was held scoreless in the first game against Canada but found the back of the net against Kazhakstan. Wozniak’s offensive effort helped drive Sweden to a big victory, and his chemistry with Eklund clicked well throughout the game. He had a few more scoring efforts, creating chances offensively, but finished the game with five shots on goal and 11 minutes of ice time.

#18 Victor Eklund, LW (2025): Talk about a game for Eklund, who notched a goal and two assists for three points. He had one of the best passing plays of the tournament when he drove hard to the net and threw a no-look spin-o-rama pass to Valter Lindberg to tie the game. Eklund had two primary assists, picking up his first few points of the tournament. He racked up two shots on goal and was a big offensive contributor.

#24 Alfons Freij, D: After a rocky first game for Freij he was solid throughout the night for the Swedes. While Freij didn’t find himself on the scoresheet this game, he made a big impact both offensively and defensively, creating multiple offensive chances and even ringing a shot off the post. Freij made an impact as a rush defender and used his skating advantage to push the play up the ice. He had activations on both strong and weak sides and logged over 22 minutes of ice time.

#16 Jack Berglund, C: Berglund had a strong offensive showing, notching Swedens’ fifth goal of the game. He took the puck up center, made a couple of quick stick moves to split the Kazhakstan defense and rifled a shot on Kazakh keeper Tanirkhan Alpysbayev. As the puck was loose, Berglund snatched his own rebound and buried it in the back of the net. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward also picked up an assist on Adam Hesselvall’s goal and saw time on the penalty kill.

#11 Lucas Pettersson, C: The 2024 draft prospect scored his first goal of the tournament after collecting a quick pass along the left side from Ohrqvist breaking out with speed and putting home a backhand goal. Pettersson again found the scoresheet when he helped set up Melvin Fernstrom’s goal to give Sweden the 7-1 lead. A good night for a potential top 60 player in the draft.

Kazakhstan

#10 Azbal Azbiek, LW: Azibek opened the scoring in the game and found his second goal of the tournament after picking up a pass on the right-hand faceoff circle and firing a shot past Love Harenstam’s glove to give Kazakhstan the early lead. While it didn’t last long, Azbiek continued to play on a high motor all game and was relentless on the forecheck, stripping the puck away from the Swedes on different occasions. Azibek finished the night with one goal, two shots, and 16 minutes of ice time.

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U-18 Men’s World Championship: Who stood out on Day 3

USA

Norway

Sweden

Kazakhstan

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