The World Junior Championship is always one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. While just a few teams are expected to take home a medal, every year brings new surprises. Just look at 2024, where Canada finished without a medal for just the 13th time in tournament history and the first time since 2019, and Czechia won their first back-to-back medal since claiming two golds in 2000 and 2001. Meanwhile, Latvia qualified for the playoffs for the second time in history and extended their time in the top division to four years.
The same goes for the plethora of talented prospects that make their way to the prestigious tournament every year. The Big Four of Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland generally bring the most talented prospects who can rack up the points, but for every Connor Bedard or Trevor Zegras, there’s a Nico Hischier or Tim Stutzle who emerges as a top player despite playing for weaker programs.
It’s what makes the World Juniors so exciting – almost anything can happen. Heroes can be made throughout seven games, earning national – or even international – recognition.
Breakouts
Tanner Molendyk, D, Canada
Always a medal threat, Canada will be bringing a dangerous defence corps, headlined by Sam Dickinson and returnee Oliver Bonk. But one player who could end up stealing the show is Tanner Molendyk, the Nashville Predators’ first-round pick from 2023. A star for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Saskatoon Blades, he’s a dangerous two-way presence, using his incredible speed and agility to create space, separate opponents from the puck, and lead breakouts. He also has a chip on his shoulder after missing last year’s tournament with a broken wrist, which he sustained during a pre-tournament contest against Switzerland. If he’s given top-pairing minutes, he could emerge as Canada’s most effective defenceman.
Tom Willander, D, Sweden
Sweden will once again have a strong defence at the 2025 World Juniors. All but one are 19 years old and Theo Lindstein and Axel Sandin-Pellikka are back after leading the blue line in scoring last year. The team will likely try to repeat their successful 2024 strategy that secured them a silver medal by relying on their defence to move the puck and drive the play, and that gives Tom Willander a great opportunity to show off what made him the 11th overall selection in 2023. He’s been one of the NCAA’s most productive defencemen this season with Boston College, recording nine points in 14 games. While there’s no question he’ll improve on his three points from last year’s tournament, he’s a great candidate to eclipse the point-per-game plateau.
Cole Eiserman, LW, USA
It was big news when Cole Eiserman was left off the American’s 2024 World Junior preliminary roster. Although just 17, he led the United States National Development Program in goals and points, surpassing Cole Caufield’s record. He quieted some doubts about his defensive game at the 2024 U18 World Championship, where he led the team with nine goals despite playing a more limited role and demonstrated a strong physical side and hard backchecking.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
Now a freshman at Boston University, he’s been one of the best freshmen across the NCAA with 13 points in 15 games. He’s continued to improve his all-around game and has proven he can make things happen every time he steps on the ice. Even though he’ll likely take a lesser role behind Ryan Leonard, Oliver Moore, Danny Nelson, and Gabe Perrault, look for Eiserman to score plenty of goals at the World Juniors.
Konsta Helenius, C, Finland
2024 was not a great tournament for Finland, but it was especially disappointing for Konsta Helenius, who was expected to be an offensive catalyst for the Finns. The Hockey Writers’ Daniel Amoia wrote, “He could potentially be a top-five draft pick in 2024, and he should be a driving force while centring either Jani Nyman or Lenni Hameenaho. Expect him to rack up tons of assists.” In reality, the talented 17-year-old finished the tournament with just a goal and an assist, the Finns finished fourth, and in June, he was selected 14th overall by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2024 NHL Draft.
This season, however, Helenius journeyed over to North America, where he joined the Sabres’ affiliate, the Rochester Americans, where he has six goals and 16 points in 21 games. Not only does that put him fourth on the team in scoring, but among teenagers playing in the league, he ranks second ahead of Bradly Nadeau, Eduard Sale, and Anton Wahlberg, all of whom will be representing their respective nations at the tournament this year. Helenius’ two-way game will give Finland a very strong first-line center, where he can reunite with Kasper Halttunen and Rasmus Kumpulainen from last year’s squad and rack up a ton of assists this time.
Honourable Mentions: Beckett Sennecke (Canada), James Hagens (USA), Aron Kiviharju (Finland), Juraj Pekarcik (Slovakia), Michael Hrabel (Czechia), Leo Braillard (Switzerland)
Sleepers
Zeb Forsfjäll, LW, Sweden
Zeb Forsfjäll has always been a talented play driver, possessing speed, intelligence, and a great shot. He scored eight points in seven games at the 2023 U18 World Championship, helping Sweden claim a silver medal, and was one of Sweden’s best players at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the same year, finishing with the second most points on the team. However, his smaller size and lack of strength have led to struggles in higher leagues. In the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), he only managed five points in 41 games last season, which sat 17th among U20 players in the league.
This season, he hasn’t improved much, sitting 15th among U20 players with zero goals and five points in 23 games. However, a trip to the World Juniors could prove to be just what the slick 19-year-old needs to rediscover his scoring touch, and on a strong Swedish team, he’ll have an opportunity to take over a top-six spot.
Jamiro Reber, C, Switzerland
Although the Swiss rarely have a player who dominates offensively, they could have one this year in Jamiro Reber. Passed over in the 2024 Draft, he made his SHL debut this season as an injury replacement and has quickly emerged as one of the best teenagers in the league. By early December, he was the second-line centre for HV71 and sat second among all U20 players with seven goals and 14 points in 24 games. His game is built on speed and intensity, and given that he was at last year’s World Junior Championship, he will be one to watch if Switzerland picks up any momentum in the tournament.
Luka Radivojevic, D, Slovakia
Luka Radivojevic has been on scouting radars for some time after debuting with the Slovak national team last year in both the World Junior Championship and the U18 World Championship as a 16-year-old. He didn’t have a lot of success at last year’s U20s, but he was also the youngest player at the tournament and was playing some difficult minutes for Slovakia. His game revolves around his slick puck movement, with which he has a lot of confidence. After starting the season in the SHL, he moved to the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he’s tied for second on the team with 10 assists. His skating and strength still need some work, but he could find a place on Slovakia’s top four defence pairings, allowing him to put up some big points and boost his draft projection.
Marcus Gidlöf, G, Sweden
Sweden will have some interesting decisions to make in net. Melker Thelin is the returning veteran and most likely starter after posting a .909 save percentage (SV%) over two appearances at last year’s tournament and has some good numbers in league play this season, but he hasn’t faced the toughest competition in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league, and the J20 circuit. Melvin Strahl is in a similar boat but is more familiar with the North American game after playing 19 games with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, where he has a .902 SV%.
The last is Marcus Gidlöf, who has played most of 2024-25 in the SHL and over eight starts, he has an impressive .917 SV% and a 5-3-0 record. Add in his 6-foot-6 frame and he suddenly looks like one of Sweden’s better options. Sweden tends to rely heavily on their starter to play most of the games, and with Thelin’s experience, he will likely start the tournament as the team’s number-one goaltender. It’s then a bit of a coin flip as to who will be Sweden’s backup, as both goalies are 19 years old and have a track record of performing well under pressure, but if the job goes to Gidlöf, he could emerge as a darkhorse to steal the reins out from under Thelin.
Honourable Mentions: Linards Feldbergs (Latvia), Adam Zidlicky (Czechia), Emil Pieniniemi (Finland), Logan Hensler (USA), Jack Ivankovic (Canada), David Lewandowski (Germany)
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