1 prospect to watch at the WJHC from every NHL team
The 2023 World Junior Championship is just around the corner. After a strange summer tournament, the event is back in its traditional slot on the schedule and generating excitement thanks to plenty of highly regarded prospects.
To kick off our coverage, we'll review one prospect at the tournament from each NHL team.
Note: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs don't have any prospects playing at the 2023 World Junior Championship. All 30 other NHL teams have at least one at the tournament.
Anaheim Ducks
Olen Zellweger led the 2022 world juniors in scoring among defensemen. What can he accomplish this time? The Ducks' second-round pick in 2021 has been among the best offensive blue-liners in junior hockey for the past two years with the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Zellweger is set to feature on Canada's top pairing and power play.
Arizona Coyotes
Even with Dylan Guenther loaned to Team Canada, forward Logan Cooley is the one to watch from the Coyotes organization. Arizona fans have had a chance to familiarize themselves with Guenther during his 21 games in the NHL this year. But Cooley, the Coyotes' third overall pick this past summer, has not had that same spotlight. Averaging over a point per game at the University of Minnesota, Cooley needs to produce if the USA is to make an impact at this year's tournament.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins' prospect pool is devoid of potential game-breakers, except for one name: Fabian Lysell. The Swedish forward has made a seamless transition to the AHL after spending one year in the WHL. He's tallied 19 points in 20 games with the Providence Bruins to lead the AHL in scoring among U20 forwards. The 2021 first-rounder is set to play a major offensive role for Sweden.
Buffalo Sabres
The third of the Sabres' three first-round picks in 2022, Jiri Kulich has taken his game to another level each time he's suited up for Czechia. He potted nine goals at the 2022 U18s to take home tournament MVP and followed that up with eight points at the summer world juniors. Buffalo has three first-round picks at this year's tournament (2022 ninth overall pick Matthew Savoie was left off Team Canada), and Kulich has the best chance among them of becoming a top story at the event.
Calgary Flames
Finland lacks depth at center, which may open the door for Topi Ronni to slide into a top-six role. The Flames' 2022 second-rounder doesn't have gaudy totals - only two points in 10 Liiga games this season - but his solid support play should blend well with Finland's plethora of offensive talent on the wings.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have a stacked prospect pool on the back end, and Finland's Aleksi Heimosalmi is a big part of it. The right-shot blue-liner has been impressive on the international stage, winning Best Defenseman at the 2022 U18s and tallying seven points at the summer world juniors. After a lackluster rookie campaign in Liiga, Heimosalmi has found his rhythm in 2022-23 to lead the Finnish pro league in scoring among U20 defensemen.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks are contributing three members to Canada's blue line, including 2022 first-rounder Kevin Korchinski. While he may not play as much as fellow Chicago prospect Ethan Del Mastro, Korchinski - drafted seventh overall with a pick from the Alex DeBrincat trade - is the one to watch due to his electric offense.
Colorado Avalanche
With just five selections over the past two drafts, it's no surprise that the Avalanche have only one representative at the world juniors. Defenseman Sean Behrens was limited to one game at the summer event after being injured against Switzerland. No stranger to big moments - he captured the NCAA championship with the University of Denver in the spring - Behrens will look to make an impact on an incredibly deep American blue line.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Defenseman David Jiricek has been phenomenal early in his North American tenure. The sixth overall pick in 2022 has scored 20 points in 19 games with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters and got a two-game taste of NHL action in late October. Injured last December against Canada at the original 2022 world juniors, the Blue Jackets' top prospect will look for redemption as one of the top players at the event. He may literally play half the game for Czechia in the elimination rounds.
Dallas Stars
The Stars seem to have another second-round steal in forward Logan Stankoven. The diminutive center has torched the WHL this season with 44 points in 21 games, only getting outproduced on a per-game basis by projected first overall pick Connor Bedard. Stankoven impressed at the summer world juniors with 10 points and is expected to be the second-line pivot for Team Canada this time around.
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings top prospect Simon Edvinsson declined an invite from Sweden in order to focus on the AHL campaign, leaving Red Savage as the lone representative from the Detroit organization at the world juniors. The 2021 fourth-rounder was named an alternate captain for the U.S. and will play an important role as a bottom-six pivot.
Edmonton Oilers
It's been an impressive rise for Oilers prospect Reid Schaefer over the past year and a half. Entering last season without a goal in his WHL career, Schaefer broke out with the Seattle Thunderbirds to sneak into the first round of the 2022 draft. He's continued his upward trajectory to produce at over a point-per-game clip in 2022-23. Schaefer is expected to play as a physical bottom-six winger for Canada.
Florida Panthers
Forward Sandis Vilmanis has had a productive start to his career in North America, scoring 11 goals and 24 points through 29 contests with the OHL's Sarnia Sting. The Panthers' 2022 fifth-rounder has a cannon of a shot and will need to pot goals if the Latvians are to avoid relegation.
Los Angeles Kings
It's funny what a year can do. Snubbed from last December's world juniors, defenseman Brandt Clarke needed to be loaned to Team Canada by his NHL team. The Kings' blue-chip prospect scored at over a point-per-game rate in the OHL last season and carried that momentum into training camp, earning an NHL gig despite Los Angeles' incredibly deep blue line. Clarke is Team Canada's best right-shot defender and will anchor one of its top two pairings.
Minnesota Wild
Forward Liam Ohgren enters the world juniors with a ton of momentum. The Wild's 2022 first-rounder is on a six-game point streak in Sweden's second-tier pro league, highlighted by a hat trick on Dec. 13. After captaining Sweden to U18 gold in 2022, Ohgren is set to play a massive role in Sweden's pursuit of a podium spot at the U20 level.
Montreal Canadiens
Few prospects are as fascinating as the Canadiens' 2022 second-rounder, Lane Hutson. The 5-foot-8 defenseman has had no issues translating his game to the NCAA, leading the Hockey East conference in scoring among blue-liners with 18 points through 16 games. His play as a freshman has caught the attention of many, including Team USA. Hutson's tantalizing skill makes him a must-watch for Habs fans at this year's world juniors.
Nashville Predators
Predators first-rounder Joakim Kemell was a major offensive piece for Finland at the 2022 world juniors, tallying four goals and 12 points to land on the tournament All-Star team. Just five forwards return from the squad that won silver in the summer, and Kemell was the only one who registered more than two points. If Finland is to repeat, or improve, on its performance, the team needs Kemell to be among the leading scorers yet again.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils have, not one, but two defensemen drafted in the top five at this year's world juniors in Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. While Nemec was selected second overall, Hughes will get the brightest spotlight. The fourth overall pick in 2021 was named captain of Team USA and could very well be the best blue-liner at the tournament with his dazzling skating and high-octane offense. Hughes was already playing well over 20 minutes per game at the 2022 world juniors. Expect that number to climb even higher.
New York Islanders
Defenseman Calle Odelius hasn't put up many points - just five assists in 26 games in the Swedish second-tier league - but he's been a quality player in his short professional tenure. Odelius' plus-11 rating leads his club team among blue-liners. Sweden will lean on the experience and strong play of the Islanders' second-rounder as it looks to find a mix on defense that makes up for the absence of three top U20 options.
New York Rangers
Forward Brennan Othmann appears to be the lucky left winger that gets to play alongside Shane Wright and Connor Bedard. The Rangers' first-rounder has received reps in that spot through Canada's camp, which comes as little surprise. Othmann played on the same line as Wright at the U16 level with Don Mills and at the 2021 U18s. After bouncing around Canada's lineup in the summer, Othmann will hope to lock down that first-line position early on.
Ottawa Senators
Senators prospect Tyler Boucher hasn't matched the production typically expected of a 10th overall pick. He left Boston University after 17 games and has just 29 points in 41 career OHL games. But that doesn't affect his anticipated role with Team USA. The Americans brought in Boucher to be a physical, bottom-six presence with some offensive upside. His status as a top-10 pick will result in extra attention at this tournament.
Philadelphia Flyers
Forward Cutter Gauthier's role for the U.S. will be clarified in the coming days. Gauthier shifted to center on a full-time basis with Boston College this season - a major reason the Flyers drafted him fifth overall in July - but he was stellar as a left winger for the USNTDP, playing with Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud. If Team USA reunites that line, it will be among the best in the tournament. However, lacking center depth, the Americans may play Gauthier down the middle to optimize their lineup.
San Jose Sharks
As is the case for nearly every team at the world juniors this year, goaltending is a massive question mark for Canada. Sharks 2021 third-rounder Benjamin Gaudreau has the inside track for the starting gig thanks to his international results: He had a .919 save percentage at the 2021 U18s while capturing gold and winning Best Goaltender. Gaudreau will hope he can find that form again and avoid replicating the .868 save percentage he's posted with the OHL's Sarnia Sting this season.
Seattle Kraken
No player is under more pressure to perform at the world juniors than Shane Wright. After falling to fourth in the 2022 draft and struggling to get consistent minutes in the Kraken's lineup, a star-level performance would do a lot to dispel the negative perception that has followed Wright for the better part of the past year. He'll have every opportunity to show his quality as captain of the Canadian squad.
St. Louis Blues
Few 2022 draft picks have been as impressive as Blues first-rounder Jimmy Snuggerud this season. The University of Minnesota freshman makes up one-third of the best line in college hockey, taking the ice alongside Logan Cooley and Matt Knies. He ranks second in the NCAA in scoring with 27 points through 20 contests and leads the country with a plus-20 rating. Snuggerud will feature on Team USA's top line with Cooley, his Golden Gophers linemate.
Tampa Bay Lightning
'Mr. Irrelevant' as the final selection of the 2021 draft, Niko Huuhtanen has had his stock rise quite a bit in the year and a half since the Lightning selected him 224th overall. Huuhtanen impressed with the WHL's Everett Silvertips in 2021-22 and hasn't missed a beat returning to Finland. His 16 points in 24 games lead the Finnish league in scoring among U20 players. The power forward could be a difference-maker for Finland at the tournament.
Vancouver Canucks
Forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki hasn't been as impactful as expected early in his professional tenure, registering just five points through 20 games in the Swedish second-tier league. The Canucks first-rounder will hope to replicate his spectacular performance at the 2022 U18s, where he led the tournament with 15 points en route to Sweden's gold-medal finish. Lekkerimaki will likely play on the top line with his Djurgardens teammates Liam Ohgren and Noah Ostlund.
Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights seventh-rounder Carl Lindbom is in the midst of a breakout campaign in the Allsvenskan. His .936 save percentage is the best in the Swedish second-tier league, and Lindbom's registered the mark as a starter who's played 21 games. Many of the tournament's top contenders have significant question marks in net; Sweden does not have that issue.
Washington Capitals
The U.S. has plenty of offensive defensemen who will provide excitement at the world juniors. But Capitals second-rounder Ryan Chesley will be tasked with keeping Team USA's end of the ice in check. The University of Minnesota freshman is expected to be an anchor of the top four and play a major role on the penalty kill.
Winnipeg Jets
There isn't a player at the world juniors with a wider range of outcomes than Jets first-rounder Brad Lambert. He could take over the tournament with his immense talent and remind the hockey world why he was once considered the primary challenger to Shane Wright at the top of the 2022 draft class. But Lambert could also struggle to make an impact and fall out of favor with the Finnish coaching staff, just as he did in the summer.