At the conclusion of the Gold Medal match the IIHF directorate are asked to vote on a variety of awards for the year’s tournament. They name the best defenseman, best forward, and best goaltender for the tournament while members of the media decide the tournament’s MVP.
Today we’re going to take a look at where these awards stand just a few days before the tournament begins, following a few contenders for each major award. Some of these guys are here more for their track record so far this season, and others more for their reputation, but all of these players have serious chances at being recognized as the best amongst their peers.
IIHF Directorate Awards
The winner of these awards is selected by the IIHF directorate, announced shortly after the Gold Medal Game has finished.
Best Forward Contenders:
David Edstrom, C, Sweden
David Edstrom is a big center prospect who I was very high on in the 2023 Draft as a powerful two-way center. Edstrom is a massive defensive presence down the middle, but also has a ton of offense to give, mainly through his passing. That’s partly because he’s spent most of his time playing against grown men for the past two years, and I think he’ll flourish this year in this chance to play against his own age group
Ryan Leonard, LW, USA
Ryan Leonard is a hardworking forward with a ton of offensive skill and a motor that never quits. I would like to wish his opponents the best of luck because Leonard is something like the comic book character “The Juggernaut”, with a massive amount of momentum and force behind every play he makes.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
His tenacity causes lapses in his opponents’ focus, and he has more than enough skill and goal scoring ability to make them pay for any mistakes.
Calum Ritchie, C, Canada
Calum Ritchie is one of those players that has been talked about as a strong two-way center for long enough that people forget just how dangerous he is offensively. Ritchie has scored 113 points in his last 68 OHL games, and has looked very confident in pre-tournament action for Canada.
Calum Ritchie pulled out the shootout fake move again.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) November 16, 2024
Misa and Martone have been box office. Sennecke has been hit. Cowan remains consistent. But Ritchie’s the best player in the OHL for my money. pic.twitter.com/vgq6EqcBHl
It doesn’t hurt that he made the Colorado Avalanche out of training camp this year, suiting up for seven games and even scoring his first NHL goal. Ritchie is incredibly strong and smart, but his skill with the puck is his defining quality.
Dalibor Dvorsky, C, Slovakia
Dalibor Dvorsky is set to suit up for his 5th World Junior Championship with Slovakia this week (you read that right!), and I see no reason not to expect him to explode offensively this time around. Dvorsky has been playing in the AHL all season, and is currently scoring at a nearly unheard of rate for a teenager so far with 21 points in 27 games so far. He is a natural goal scorer, pushing toward the middle of the ice whenever possible, and his playmaking on the rush has looked dangerous recently as well.
Honourable Mentions: Easton Cowan (Canada), Gabe Perreault (USA), Felix Unger Sörum (Sweden), Gavin McKenna (Canada)
Best Defenceman Contenders:
Zeev Buium, LD, USA
Zeev Buium will be counted on as the lead offensive creator in the USA’s defensive group this year. I expect he’ll thrive in that role, leading the team’s top power play and playing what I like to call “Quinn Hughes Defence”, as a player who isn’t all that physical but who shuts plays down through timing and smarts. Buium has had a phenomenal 2024, and will look to carry that momentum back into this year’s tournament and another long playoff run in the NCAA.
Axel Sandin Pellikka, RD, Sweden
Axel Sandin Pellikka (ASP) is off to an incredibly hot start to the year in the SHL, with 22 points in 25 games, leading all defenders in scoring and all U20 players of any position as well. He has been named the captain of Sweden for this year’s tournament, and will be a two-way horse for the team once again in his third tournament.
ASP is absolutely a favorite to be named top defender in the tournament after winning the award last year with a few timely goals en route to a silver medal.
Sam Dickinson, LD, Canada
Sam Dickinson was long seen as a defensive defender without a lot of offense in his game, but that all changed last year when he displayed a lot more dynamic skill and creativity than we had ever seen from him. He has kept that momentum going, with 46 points in his first 26 OHL games this year, an absolutely absurd scoring pace for an 18-year-old defender. Dickinson will have another kick at this award next year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he outworked Oliver Bonk for Canada’s number one defender title at this tourney and earned himself a few votes for this award.
Adam Jiricek, RD, Czechia
Adam Jiricek is going to be a fascinating player to watch at this year’s tournament, as he really hasn’t played a lot in the past 12 months. An injury in last year’s World Junior Championship ended his draft year, and he only just returned to league play, this year with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL. Czechia is going to be relying on him heavily, and if he can play like he has in the past, despite playing just 6 official games in the year 2024, then he’s got a shot at this award. Jiricek is an excellent passer and has a ton of defensive potential given his pure strength level.
HM: Aron Kiviharju (Finland), Oliver Bonk (Canada), Tom Willander (Sweden)
Best Goalie Contenders:
Trey Augustine, G, USA
Trey Augustine is the clear favorite for this award before the tournament begins, and rightly so given he narrowly missed out on winning it last year despite leading the tournament in goals against average and save percentage.
Obviously, this is a short tournament and someone playing the best hockey of their career for a week or two would be enough to surpass him, but Augustine’s calm demeanor and technical precision is going to be tough to beat.
Melker Thelin, G, Sweden
Melker Thelin has looked good against men in the Swedish Allsvenskan league this year, and was impressive against Canada in a pre-tournament game Saturday night. He’s not as big of a name as Augustine but Thelin has a strong defensive group in front of him and is more than capable of earning a few signature victories over super-powered teams, earning himself enough of a storyline to win the award.
Michael Hrabal, G, Czechia
Michael Hrabal is a massive goaltender (6-foot-6) who was highly sought after in the 2023 Draft. He has since been excellent in the NCAA with the University of Massachusetts where he has slowly improved his numbers over the past year and a half. Hrabal was Czechia’s starting goalie in last year’s tournament, and while the stats aren’t the prettiest, he was an integral member of that Bronze medal winning team. If you were to visit me from two weeks in the future and tell me that Czechia won a medal again, I’d assume it’s because Hrabal had another strong tournament.
HM: Whoever Ends Up in Net for Canada
Media Awards
These awards are voted on by independent members of the media, and includes an All-Star Team lineup of three forwards (regardless of position), two defenders (regardless of handedness), and one goaltender, as well as a tournament MVP award.
All Star Team Prediction
F: Ryan Leonard, Calum Ritchie, Gabe Perreault
D: Zeev Buium, Axel Sandin Pellikka
G: Trey Augustine
Media MVP
Ryan Leonard, LW, USA
I’m predicting a near clean-sweep of the all-star team by Team USA, as I think the high-end of their lineup is the best in the tournament, though it is still in question whether their lack of depth will come back to bite them in the elimination round or not.