The Chicago Blackhawks could be well represented at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC) in Ottawa this holiday season. We will examine the five players in the Blackhawks organization who could be selected to represent their respective countries.
The tournament will take place from Dec. 26, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025, at the 18,652-seat Canadian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators, which will serve as the primary competition venue with other games scheduled at TD Place, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67s.
Oliver Moore
The Minnesota native was drafted 19th overall in the first round in 2023 and was a member of Team USA, which won the gold medal in 2024. Many feel Moore will play on the second line unless the San Jose Sharks let Will Smith participate. Moore has 11 points in 14 games for the University of Minnesota this season, helping the Golden Gophers jump to a 12-2 record.
Last weekend, Moore collected the primary assist on his team’s only goal, which Matthew Wood scored against Bemidji State. The Golden Gophers lost 3-1, but Moore was the catalyst in creating offense. While some would like to see an uptick in scoring, he has the speed and playmaking ability to change games, and his experience in this tournament virtually makes him a lock for the Team USA roster.
Janne Peltonten
The Blackhawks drafted the 19-year-old in the 7th round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and he is currently on loan to Hermes of Mestis, the second-highest men’s ice hockey league in Finland. In 16 games, the left-handed shot defenseman has one goal and three assists. Peltonten participated in four games in the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase. He is probably just outside the top seven blueliners being considered for Team Finland, but he could make the roster, depending on what happens within the next month.
AJ Spellacy
The third-round pick in 2024 has been on the rise over the last year. Given his speed, strength, and energy, many think he would be a perfect fit on the fourth line, and his combination of speed and physicality would fit perfectly in the US roster. In the preseason, he impressed the Blackhawks brass by finishing every hit and blocking shots while completing some clever passing plays.
Related: Projecting Canada’s Roster for the 2025 World Junior Championship
Spellacy has only recently begun focusing full-time on hockey. He was a top high school football player in the Cleveland, OH, area and turned down five different NCAA Division I scholarships. It comes as no surprise the former safety can play a physical game. He is a natural, explosive athlete who relies on pure output to create offense. The Blackhawks like his upside, and a selection on Team USA would go a long way toward his development. He already picked up some international experience by being part of Team USA in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Jiri Felcman
The Czech native put himself on the radar by starting the season with five assists in his first nine games for the SCL Tigers of the Swiss League. He played for Team Czechia in the 2023 U18 WJC, and for a player who generates good speed and has excellent stickhandling and puck protection skills, he should have a good chance of making the roster. The third-round selection in 2023 was signed to an amateur tryout by the Rockford IceHogs; however, he never played a game with them last season.
Joel Svensson
The Blackhawks’ 138th overall selection in the 2024 Draft is on the outside looking in to make the roster for Team Sweden. However, the right-shot forward has played for Sweden in other international tournaments, so he will at least be considered. Svensson has four points in 18 games for Tingsryds AIF of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest professional league in Sweden.
If you want to follow all or any of the Blackhawk prospects participating in the 2025 WJC, you can watch most games on the NHL Network in the United States and on TSN in Canada. The website for the IIHF-sponsored tournament has up-to-minute stats and information on all the games.
