Which NHL Prospect Pool Stood Out the Most at the 2025 World Junior Championship?

The 2025 World Junior Championship is now over. The United States repeated the feat of winning the gold medal, securing their second consecutive title. For Team Canada, the loss is still hard to swallow for both the fans and the management. Through these team performances in a tournament that lasts only a few days, which NHL prospect pool stood out the most during the tournament?

In the 2025 World Junior Championship, more than 100 prospects were affiliated with an NHL team. Among them, only the Boston Bruins had no prospects performing in this competition. The NHL teams with the most prospects in the tournament were the St. Louis Blues (9), the Washington Capitals (9), the Seattle Kraken (8), and the Nashville Predators (8). For the Montreal Canadiens, only one prospect represented the team: Swedish defenseman Rasmus Bergqvist. For a recap of his performances, check out our recent Habs Hebdo published every Monday/Tuesday.

Which NHL team was best represented by its prospects? Let’s list the top 5 prospect pools that stood out in the 2025 World Junior Championship.

HM – Seattle Kraken

• Berkly Catton (CAN)
• Carson Rehkopf (CAN)
• Caden Price (CAN)
• Zeb Forsfjall (SWE)
• Eduard Sale (CZE)
• Jakub Fibigr (CZE)
• Julius Miettinen (FIN)
• Kim Saarinen (FIN)

With eight players representing the Seattle Kraken at the World Junior Championship, I feel compelled to place the Kraken in my honorable mentions. Their top prospect according to the draft rankings, Berkly Catton, was unfortunately not used effectively by Team Canada. However, I liked his dynamism, and he tried to create opportunities on the ice. With better line combinations and more thoughtful ice time, I’m convinced he could have offered more. Catton attacked the net well, something few Canadian forwards did. His teammate, Caden Price, also did well, and at times, he seemed like the best Canadian defender because he made fewer mistakes. I liked what little we saw of Carson Rehkopf, but his indiscipline cost him a permanent spot. It’s a shame because he could have been an important offensive piece if used properly.

Otherwise, their best prospect of the tournament was undoubtedly Eduard Sale. The Czech forward made the most of his last appearance in the competition to leave a lasting impression after a tough 2023 draft year. His time in the OHL greatly helped him, and he’s doing well offensively in the AHL this season. Sale ended his tournament in a great way by scoring the goal that earned his nation the bronze medal—his second consecutive. His Czech teammate and Seattle prospect, Jakub Fibigr, also performed well on defense, combining physicality and efficiency. Julius Miettinen also had a good tournament for Finland, where he was trusted with all the crucial faceoffs. A small mention to Zeb Forsfjall, a supporting player for Sweden, but his dynamism on the ice is always interesting to watch.

Five out of the nine prospects finish with a medal around their necks:
2 bronze, 3 silver

5 – New York Islanders

• Cole Eiserman (USA)
• Danny Nelson (USA)
• Jesse Nurmi (FIN)
• Marcus Gidlof (SWE)

Starting the top 5 with the New York Islanders. They had a few prospects representing them, but overall, I liked their contribution. Cole Eiserman may have been used as the 13th forward for Team USA, but he was sent out on specific assignments, and he delivered. Moreover, we saw a highly interesting aspect of his game. If he wasn’t sent out to score a goal on the power play, Eiserman used his ice time to disrupt the opposition. He was feisty at times, but with his talent, he also scored important goals. I also appreciated his passing game in this tournament, an aspect that was overlooked during his draft year.

Danny Nelson, playing a supporting role, excelled at forechecking and scored important goals. He wasn’t known for his offensive contribution during his draft year, but his progress in this area is quite interesting. Jesse Nurmi, for Finland, was constantly threatening opposing goalies. A constant offensive threat, he stood out for his dynamism on the finalist team. As for Marcus Gidlof, he had a strong start and kept Sweden in the bronze medal game. However, his underdeveloped technique showed up clearly in the shootout. Luckily, he was big because he didn’t seem to know what to do against the Czechs.

Three medals for the Islanders’ four prospects:
2 gold, 1 silver

4 – Minnesota Wild

• Zeev Buium (USA)
• Rasmus Kumpulainen (FIN)
• Sebastian Soini (FIN)
• Aron Kiviharju (FIN)

Zeev Buium emerged as one of the tournament’s best defenders. We’ll remember his pass to Teddy Stiga for the gold-winning goal for Team USA, right in front of potential future Wild teammates. With only four prospects in the tournament, the Wild stood out. Aside from Buium, who was sensational, I really liked Aron Kiviharju’s tournament. The defenseman’s stock had significantly dropped in his draft year due to an injury-riddled season, but he played much more like a first-round selection than a fourth-round pick. Efficient at moving the puck, he was the quarterback for his team. Moreover, we saw him block shots and use physicality to counter the opposition.

Still on the physical side, I appreciated Rasmus Kumpulainen’s involvement. Finland is normally not known for its physicality, but I felt this aspect was much more present in the 2025 cohort of the World Junior Championship. He didn’t produce much during the tournament, but you could feel his presence every time he was on the ice.

Four medals for the four prospects:
1 gold, 3 silver

3 – Detroit Red Wings

• Axel Sandin-Pellikka (SWE)
• Jesse Kiiskinen (FIN)
• Trey Augustine (USA)
• Max Plante (USA)

Before the tournament, the Red Wings could boast of potentially having the best goalie and best defender in the tournament within their own pipeline. Axel Sandin-Pellikka lived up to expectations, but Trey Augustine did not, in the end. Let me explain.

The American goalie didn’t meet my expectations during the tournament, showing weakness on several occasions. Was Augustine’s glove hand properly adjusted? However, when it was time to step up his game, he did. Let’s talk about Canada, which struggled to beat Augustine. In the final against Finland, he had a very poor start but later showcased his skills in several crucial moments to eventually defeat Finland. A rollercoaster tournament for him, and I think Petteri Rimpinen outperformed him. Long-term, the advantage is clearly with Augustine, but everyone agrees on that.

That said, Axel Sandin-Pellikka earned his place among the best defenders in the tournament. He’s known for his devastating shot, but his physical play was also highlighted in this tournament. He was very consistent despite the heavy ice time he received. Finally, Jesse Kiiskinen for Finland was excellent. He was the best forward on the ice for Finland, and his statistical performance reflects that well. With an excellent shot and quick execution, Kiiskinen was THE player to watch for Finland.

Three medals for four prospects:
2 gold, 1 silver

2 – Washington Capitals

• Ryan Leonard (USA)
• Cole Hutson (USA)
• Eriks Mateiko (LAT)
• Leon Muggli (SUI)
• Miroslav Satan (SVK)
• Petr Sikora (CZE)

The Capitals fought hard for the top spot in this ranking, but it was the depth that ultimately made the difference. After Cole Hutson and Ryan Leonard, who were highly impactful players in Team USA’s gold medal run, the quality slightly dipped. Why second place? Eriks Mateiko boosted this pipeline with an incredible production of 7 goals in as many games. For a Latvian prospect without the offensive support from larger nations, this is an impressive output. He definitely increased his value as an organizational prospect for the Capitals.

Cole Hutson was the best defenseman in the tournament. He was a constant threat whenever he entered the zone. His wrist shot is accurate, quick, and deceptive to all goalies. And his teammate Ryan Leonard demonstrated all the leadership that comes with him. He’s the kind of player you’d want to go to war with. Sure, he often ended up on the ice and drew penalties, but I really saw a Matthew Tkachuk-like player in his game.

Another prospect that stood out for the Caps was Petr Sikora. An obscure prospect for the organization, but he played his pest role to perfection. It’s funny to hear Ottawa fans booing a player who disrupted everything and especially dove throughout the tournament! But for Sikora, it was a good tournament, even though he wasn’t expected to lead the offense. He provided great depth on the second line, and you could see that he had a sharp edge. Too bad for Slovak forward Miroslav Satan, who was hit hard by Vojtech Cihar from the Czech Republic. The 6’7″ forward seemed completely lost, a clear sign of a concussion.

Three medals for six prospects:
2 Gold and 1 Bronze

1 – St. Louis Blues

• Otto Stenberg (SWE)
• Theo Lindstein (SWE)
• Dalibor Dvorsky (SVK)
• Juraj Pekarcik (SVK)
• Jakub Stancl (CZE)
• Adam Jiricek (CZE)
• Ondrej Kos (CZE)
• Adam Jecho (CZE)
• Colin Ralph (USA)

Many Blues prospects participated in the 2025 World Junior Championship. I think this is the best prospect pool represented in the tournament. First, in Sweden, Otto Stenberg may have been disappointing based on expectations, but he had a solid game in the bronze medal final. You could tell he wanted to end his WJC experience on a high note, but it was too little, too late. Theo Lindstein also played well, being reliable defensively and offensively.

Czech Republic definitely gave the Blues an edge in this ranking. Jakub Stancl was excellent throughout the tournament, standing out for his great shot. I liked how Adam Jiricek played, even though he hadn’t played since early November. Ondrej Kos and Adam Jecho were supporting players, but I liked their contributions. Kos was dynamic on the ice, and despite his slender frame, he played a little physically. As for Jecho, Canadian fans will remember his game-winning goal on a one-timer to eliminate Canada.

Slovakia didn’t have a large delegation this year, but Dalibor Dvorsky lived up to expectations. He carried his team along with Juraj Pekarcik. Dvorsky established himself as one of the best players of the tournament and maintained the good rhythm he had found in the AHL before the tournament.

Out of nine prospects, five medals:
1 gold, 4 bronze

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