The 2026 World Junior Championship tournament has returned to the United States for the 50th edition of one of hockey’s most prestigious tournaments. The USA is looking to capture a third-consecutive gold medal, while Team Canada is just looking to get back on the medal stand for the first time since their own back-to-back gold medal wins in 2022 and 2023.
If you are looking for player breakdowns by country, check out THW’s tournament guide for each squad. From potential top NHL draft picks to under-the-radar, late-round steals, the World Juniors features an excellent opportunity to see how the best under-20 players in the world stack up against their peers. Here are 10 players to watch (one for each team) over the next two weeks in Minneapolis.
Canada: Gavin McKenna
While there were many names to select from on Canada’s stacked roster, everybody at the tournament will have their eyes fixed on Gavin McKenna, a projected top-three draft option at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old forward completely dominated the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2024-25, recording an absurd 129 points over 56 games, averaging 2.30 points per game.
This season, McKenna has transitioned to a playmaking role for Penn State University, scoring four goals and recording 14 assists for 18 points over 16 games, averaging 1.12 PPG in the NCAA. The Yukon native had a minor role on last season’s Canadian World Juniors squad, where he scored once in five games. With a top-line role reserved at these World Juniors, it is expected that McKenna will showcase his talent over the next two weeks and solidify his position at the top of the 2026 NHL Draft class.
Czechia: Adam Benak
Adam Benak, a 2025 fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild, excelled for the Youngstown Phantoms with 59 points in 56 games in the United States Hockey League (USHL) during his draft year. While the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is noticeably weaker due to the new structure allowing Canadian Hockey League athletes to transfer to the NCAA, Benak has taken a step in his development at the next level with the Brantford Bulldogs, where he has tallied 43 points in 26 games, an average of 1.65 points per game in 2025-26.
Benak has not yet skated for Czechia at the Under-20 (U20) World Juniors. Last season, the Plzen-born forward totaled seven points over four games at the Under-18 World Juniors as an alternate captain. If Czechia expects to make some noise in Minnesota, it will likely start with their diminutive, talented, NHL-drafted winger leading the charge.
Denmark: Mads Kongsbak Klyvo
The only NHL-drafted forward on Denmark’s squad, Mads Kongsbak Klyvo, was selected by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft last summer. The winger brings size (6-foot-2) and above-average skating abilities, both skills that have allowed the young winger to record 29 points in 42 games at the J20 Nationell level in Sweden.
Klyvo was a member of the Danes squad that earned promotion at the WJC-20 D1A tournament, where he recorded three assists over five games. It’s likely going to be a difficult tournament for Denmark to secure wins, but if the Danes pull off any upsets over the next week, Kongsbak Klyvo’s name will likely be a big part of that memorable scoresheet.
Finland: Petteri Rimpinen
Petteri Rimpinen, the top netminder at the 2025 World Juniors, returns to Finland’s squad looking to improve upon their silver medal finish from 2025. The 19-year-old, a Los Angeles Kings draft pick, earned top goalie honors at last year’s tournament following a 5-2-0 record, a 2.34 goals against average (GAA), and a .933 save percentage (SV%).
Rimpinen has showcased his goaltending abilities for Kiekko-Espoo in Liiga, Finland’s top hockey league, during the 2025-26 campaign with an 8-9-6 record, a 2.79 GAA, and a .894 SV% against far older competition across the pond. When opponents look at the schedule over the next week, Finland will have to cause a slight scare among its nine opponents due to the advantage it has between the pipes in Minnesota.
Germany: Max Schafer
German forward Max Schafer will look to help keep Germany out of the relegation round, but that might not be easy in Group A alongside the United States, Sweden, Slovakia, and Switzerland. The 18-year-old winger has compiled nearly a point-per-game average for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Schafer has scored 12 goals and recorded 23 points in 25 games, a 0.92 average in his first North American season.
Schafer skated with Germany during the 2025 World Juniors, where he contributed three points (two goals and an assist) over five games. The teenager scored two goals against Kazakhstan in the relegation game on Jan. 2, 2025, a slim 4-3 victory that secured Germany’s position in Minnesota for the 50th edition of the World Juniors.
Latvia: Mikus Vecvanags
Latvia will need an otherworldly performance from goaltender Mikus Vecvanags over the next two weeks if the European country hopes to create any waves. While it will be his first chance to backstop the U20 squad, it is not the 19-year-old’s first international appearance for his homeland. Vecvanags recorded a 1-3-0 record, a 3.84 GAA, and a .908 SV% at the U18 World Juniors in 2023-24.
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
Vecvanags, a 2024 fifth-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens, currently guards the pipes for the Newfoundland Regiment of the QMJHL, where he has a 2-2-1 record with a 3.86 GAA and a .850 SV% in 2025-26. He will continue to gain North American hockey experience with a commitment to the University of Maine for the 2026-27 season.
Slovakia: Michael Pradel
Michael Pradel, a 2025 third-round draft selection by the Detroit Red Wings, should allow Slovakia to compete at this year’s World Juniors. The teenager currently holds a 9-9-3 record, a 2.46 GAA, and a .916 SV% in 23 appearances for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
Pradel was a member of Slovakia’s squad at last year’s WJC, but he did not appear in any contests. A year later, Pradel is expected to be the starting netminder for his country. At the U18 WJC last season, he recorded a 4-3-0 record, a 2.46 GAA, and a .914 SV% across seven games. The 18-year-old will be a critical piece in a medal-round appearance should Slovakia make it out of Group A.
Sweden: Jack Berglund
Jack Berglund, a 2024 second-round draft selection by the Philadelphia Flyers, is expected to help Sweden return to the medal stand following a fourth-place finish last year. The 19-year-old center skates for Farjestad in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he has recorded five points in 22 games against older competition. Berglund has played in the highest division of Swedish hockey since 2023-24 (or his 16-year-old campaign).
Berglund helped lead Sweden to a bronze medal at the 2024 U18 World Juniors in Finland. The young forward recorded five points in seven games. Despite not being on last year’s World Juniors squad, the 2024 second-rounder was elected as the captain this year. He should play an essential role in the quest to see their flag rise to the rafters at the end of the tournament.
Switzerland: Jonah Neuenschwander
A 16-year-old forward could be the talk of the tournament as Jonah Neuenschwander joins Switzerland’s quest to extend their stay at the World Juniors next winter. The teen currently skates for Biel-Bienne in the National League, where he has recorded six points in 18 contests after tearing up the Swiss U21-Elite league with 16 points in the opening 15 games. Neuenschwander will still have to wait for another calendar flip before being eligible for the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.
Related: Breakout & Sleeper Prospects at the 2026 World Juniors
The then-15-year-old skated in three games for Switzerland at the 2025 WJC, but he did not find the scoresheet. It might be too much to expect a breakout performance for the young forward, but the Swiss could provide a shocking result this year if Neuenschwander can find some offense.
United States of America: Cole Hutson
Cole Hutson is hoping to duplicate (likely) future Washington Capitals teammate Ryan Leonard’s amateur hockey experience: win gold at the World Juniors and jump straight into the NHL at the end of the college season. The 19-year-old defenseman has nearly made Washington’s roster after the last two training camps, and he led the 2025 World Juniors with 11 points.
If Hutson can put together another double-digit scoring effort this year, the USA should be in a good position heading into the medal round. The teenager was the top scorer at last season’s tournament and was only a second-round selection by the Capitals, so it would be wise to keep your eyes open for any skater that catches your eye because that player very well might have grabbed a scout’s eye, too.
There are many more names to watch at the 2026 World Juniors, but these 10 players should get you focused in the right direction over the next two weeks. Whether it’s appointment television or simply background noise during the last work week of the year, the World Juniors always find a way to delight (and disappoint) hockey fans all around the world. There is no reason to believe that this year’s 50th Anniversary tournament in Minnesota will be any different!
