Which players helped their 2023 NHL Draft stocks the most at the under-18 World Championship?

Noah Erliden (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

The U-18 World Championship concluded on Sunday with the United States erasing a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.

It was quite the final game, putting a solid end to an otherwise lopsided tournament. USA and Sweden were perfect throughout and finished 1-2, with Canada edging out Slovakia in the bronze medal game. What a way to go out: two thrilling matchups to close out an interesting trip to Basel, Switzerland.

Truthfully, most of the fun came in watching top 2024 NHL Draft prospects Macklin Celebrini, Cole Eiserman and Aron Kiviharju. But the main course of action was to zero in on this year’s draft prospects, such as Will Smith, Dalibor Dvorsky and Axel Sandin Pellikka. This was the last chance for these players to show what they’re made of ahead of the NHL Draft combine in early June. And for the United States, it was a goodbye to one of the most dominant USNTDP groups ever assembled.

I put out my NHL Draft rankings in mid-April. Most of the top performers were as advertised. But over the past week and a half, I was keen to see which players could make the biggest splash in the rankings. And these 10 players made quite a bit of noise to help improve their draft stocks:

Noah Erliden, G (Sweden): Born just six days before the NHL Draft cutoff date for 2005-born players, Erliden continued his strong U-18 season. He had just average stats in the Swedish U-20 league, playing only 19 games. Internationally, he was Sweden’s go-to keeper at the Hlinka, World Junior A Challenge and U-18s. He was excellent at all of these events, but the small goaltender shone in Switzerland, recording two shutouts in the round-robin. Erliden had the best stats in the tournament, which earned him the top goaltender award.

Otto Stenberg, LW (Sweden): Stenberg was my biggest faller in my most recent NHL Draft rankings, aided by conversations with scouts throughout the second half of the season. There are many who were disappointed with his play in Frolunda. But against teenagers, he’s been unstoppable, registering more than 30 points with the national team this year. He was electric at the Hlinka Gretzky and took it up another level in Ajoie and Basel, scoring 16 points to lead the Swedes. Hopefully, that confidence will go a long way next season.

Felix Unger Sorum, RW (Sweden): Stenberg’s right-hand man on the top line, there wasn’t a ton of hype surrounding Sorum heading into the tournament. Born a day before the NHL Draft cutoff, the winger had points in each of the first three games and nabbed a pair against Latvia in the quarterfinal. At the very least, you could count on his effort every single night.

Rasmus Kumpulainen, C (Finland): A big center, Kumpulainen was one of the few Finns that truly impressed me throughout. He had a pair of points against Norway and Latvia and consistently was one of Finland’s more active shooters, even if he looked snakebitten for the most part. Kumpulainen’s ability to create havoc in front of the net, put muscle behind a shot and play a decent two-way game should earn him some attention.

Angus MacDonell, C (Canada): MacDonnell isn’t afraid to play with an edge for a midsized forward, and he came to play in Canada’s top six. He was ejected in the final round-robin game against Czechia but otherwise had points against Germany, Slovakia and a pair versus Switzerland. His two-way play isn’t anything special and he has a penchant to get himself into trouble. But on a team with some high-quality scoring threats, MacDonnell was good.

Samuel Urban, G (Slovakia): Urban needed a great showing, and he delivered. He was huge against Czechia in Slovakia’s first win and then made 54 saves against a much stronger Finnish team in the quarterfinal to move the Slovaks to the final four. The 6-foot-1 goaltender finished as the 14th-ranked European-based goaltender this season, but he definitely saved his best hockey for when it mattered the most. He’ll surely be invited to an NHL training camp if he’s not drafted. No shortage of NCAA teams will want his services, too.

Juraj Pekarcik, C (Slovakia): It was a whirlwind season for Pekarcik, who bounced around between levels to mixed results. But he played his best hockey of the season in Switzerland, showing great chemistry with Dalibor Dvorsky on Slovakia’s top line. He’s a big reason why the Slovaks got as far as they did, with his strong two-way play and great offensive instincts shining through. Dvorsky will get most of the glory, but Pekarcik deserves a ton of the credit.

Leo Braillard, C (Switzerland): Braillard’s season was stunningly average between Biel-Bienne’s U-20 team and the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes. But with Switzerland this year, it was a different story. He started the year with an impressive four goals and five points at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup on one of the lowest-scoring teams in the tournament. In Basel, he had three goals and four points and had various other high-danger chances that fell short. Braillard was one of the few Swiss forwards that truly looked like he was giving it his all every single night. If he’s drafted, it’ll be late. But this helped his profile.

Drew Fortescue, D (USA): It’s easy to get lost on the American blueline, with most of the attention placed on the team’s stout offense. But Fortescue scored his first goal of the tournament and had three points while acting as a physical blueliner. I don’t expect him to put up many points, but his 6-foot-3 frame, and his defensive IQ was on display in Basel. Fortescue will be a late-round pick, but one that could end up being a decent long-term project.

Carey Terrance, LW (USA): It’s not easy to be thrust into a situation where you’re replacing full-time players on an established squad. Terrance had two goals, including one in the championship game, and six points total while playing a second-line role alongside Oliver Moore. Terrance is projected to go in the third round, but his ability to play a quick, smart game caught the attention of some scouts throughout the week and a half.

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Which players helped their 2023 NHL Draft stocks the most at the under-18 World Championship?

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