The 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC) is set to take place in Ottawa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. The New York Islanders had just two prospects participate in the tournament last season, but four are set to represent their countries this year. Of the four, two will represent the United States, one will represent Finland, and one will represent Sweden.
USA, Danny Nelson
Danny Nelson, 19, played for the United States at the 2024 WJC in Sweden and won gold, scoring a goal and an assist across seven games. He led the primary penalty kill unit alongside fellow Islanders draft pick, Quinn Finley, who has since aged out of the under-20 tournament. Now hoping to earn back-to-back tournament victories, United States head coach David Carle will rely on Nelson to lead the middle-six and penalty units once again.
Nelson is currently in his sophomore season at the University of Notre Dame. He currently leads the team in goals (8), one shy of the nine goals he scored last season. He is up to 13 total points across 18 games with close to half the season remaining.
After a strong freshman season, Nelson told The Hockey Writers he aimed to take the next step in his development. “[Over the offseason] I focused on puck possession and puck control, especially down low and in tight off turns. That was something I went back and watched last season and thought I could really improve upon this season, especially in the offensive zone. Controlling pucks down low and extending plays is something I am going to focus on this season.”
Related: 2025 World Juniors Roster Breakdown by NHL Team
With a strong start to the season at Notre Dame and an opporutinity to lead the United States as one of the returning veterans from last season’s run, Nelson is poised to dominate the tournament on both ends of the ice.
USA, Cole Eiserman
Selected in the first round (No. 20) of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cole Eiserman has rounded out the Islanders prospect pool with a true, A-grade prospect. The 18-year-old leads Boston University in goals (nine) and sits second in points (15) in just 16 games. He sits second in goals among NCAA freshman, trailing only Michael Hage (10), and third in points per game (0.94), trailing on James Hagens (1.25) and Hage (1.20).
Not turning 19-years-old until the end of the 2025 Offseason, Eiserman is also one of the youngest players in all of college hockey. However, you wouldn’t know it given his immediate impact in Boston University’s lineup. With his first WJC tournament ahead, the sky is the limit. He is likely to play on the second line, potentially alongside Nelson, but he should be used on the first power play unit. With returnees Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard expected to hog the spotlight, do not be surprised if Eiserman forces his way to increased ice time.
Sweden, Marcus Gidlöf
Islanders 2024 fifth-round pick, goaltender Marcus Gidlöf, currently holds a 2.07 goals against average, a .917 save percentage, and a 5-3-0 record in eight Swedish Hockey League games for Leksands IF. Since getting drafted, the 6-foot-6 goaltender has flown under the radar among Islanders fans, overshadowed by the team’s depth in netminding talent. However, his dominant start in Sweden’s premier men’s league as a teenager has propelled him to the top 10 in the Islanders prospect pool. Although he did not make Sweden’s roster last season, he is the projected starting netminder heading into the tournament.
Finland, Jesse Nurmi
The Islanders selected winger Jesse Nurmi in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Draft and he was expected to play for Finland in the 2024 WJC if not for an injury. Once recovered, he rebounded strongly at the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase, where he scored two goals and led all players at the tournament with six points, including a standout three-point performance in a 5-3 win over Team USA. Nurmi has just 12 points in 18 games with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League this season, but a prominent role in Finland’s top-six could force him to rise to the occasion for one of the tournament’s more underrated teams.
Americans Kamil Bednarik (No. 61, 2024) and Zach Schulz (No. 177, 2023) were each eligible to play in the tournament but did not make the roster. Bednarik, 18, will be just 19-years-old for the 2026 WJC and will have a strong chance to represent his country then.
