1 prospect from each NHL team to watch at the 2025 WJHC

The 2025 World Junior Hockey Championship starts in a matter of days.

Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki took home MVP in January, but the United States prevailed to claim the gold medal. The Americans return eight players from that team as they look to win back-to-back titles for the first time ever.

To kick off our coverage, we'll highlight one prospect to watch at the tournament from each NHL team.

Note: The Boston Bruins don't have a prospect playing at this year's tournament. All 31 other NHL teams have at least one affiliated player participating.

Burnevik has been a pleasant surprise at St. Cloud State this season. Drafted in the sixth round this summer in his second year of eligibility, Burnevik has burst out of the gates with nine goals and 16 points in his first 17 games of NCAA action. The 6-foot-4 winger could get some reps on the power play.

The youngest player in the AHL this season, Helenius has recorded six goals and 16 points in 26 games. The 2024 14th overall pick plays a mature game and will get big minutes as Finland's projected top-line center.

Hurtig is the Flames' only prospect at the world juniors. The 2023 seventh-round pick won't light up the scoresheet; he plays a physical, defensive game. Hurtig leads the WHL's Calgary Hitmen with a plus-22 rating and is likely to play a depth, penalty-killing role for the Swedes.

Nadeau was exceptional at the University of Maine last year and has found his groove in the AHL recently. The New Brunswick native has eight points in his last six games and looks set to begin the tournament on Canada's top line.

Moore is a speedster who will again be among the fastest players at the tournament. The 2023 19th overall selection will play a more prominent role than last year, likely as the second-line center for Team USA.

Ritchie has a chance to elevate his stock at this tournament. He began the season in the NHL and has been on a tear since returning to the OHL's Oshawa Generals, collecting 34 points in 18 games. The 2023 first-rounder has been great for Team Canada in the past and is a contender to win MVP as Canada's top-line center.

Pinelli exploded last year with 48 goals after the Blue Jackets drafted him in 2023's fourth round, and he's backed it up with 21 tallies through 26 games this year. He's the captain of the Ottawa 67's, who are coached by Canada's bench boss, Dave Cameron. The Stoney Creek, Ontario, native will play an energy, depth role when he draws into the lineup.

Hemming is likely to play a top-nine role for Finland after featuring as a depth winger at last year's tournament. A strong showing could be just the boost the 2024 first-rounder needs - he's managed just five goals in 30 games with the OHL's Barrie Colts.

Only one player has won the Best Defender award at the world juniors twice: Hall of Famer Slava Fetisov. Sandin-Pellikka has a great chance to join him; he's possibly the best player in the tournament after winning the award last year. The 2023 17th overall pick leads all SHL defensemen - regardless of age - in scoring with 22 points in 25 games.

Akey is back to full health after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury. He's a quality rush defender and one of only three right-handed defensemen on Canada's roster. The 2023 second-rounder is likely to be deployed on the third pairing and could factor in on the penalty kill.

Eriksson captained Sweden's under-18 team in the spring. The 2024 second-round selection is one of just four Swedish players eligible to return for the 2026 world juniors. He's poised for a depth role this year.

George has been excellent in the OHL even though his team has struggled to win in his starts. He sports a .905 save percentage but a bloated 3.49 goals-against average, and the Owen Sound Attack has won just four of his 23 games. George will get a chance to start for Team Canada and continue his exceptional run from the under-18 level. He's a perfect 10-0-0 in tournament starts donning a Canadian jersey.

Buium is going to play huge minutes for Team USA and is an early favorite to win Best Defender. The 2024 12th overall pick led last year's gold medal-winning squad with a plus-11 rating and will be the workhorse on this year's team. Buium's offensive game will particularly shine as the quarterback on the American power play.

Bergqvist was the penultimate pick of the 2024 draft and is the Canadiens' lone representative at the world juniors. He's likely to play a defensive depth role in his first time representing Sweden at a major tournament.

Molendyk broke his wrist in a pre-tournament game and couldn't play last year for Team Canada. He's healthy this time around and looks set to be Canada's most-used defenseman thanks to his incredible skating and two-way prowess. The 2023 24th overall pick nearly made the Predators out of training camp.

Traff's physicality and size are intriguing traits. This will be the 6-foot-3 winger's first major tournament for Sweden. His forechecking and goal scoring could come through in a key moment.

Eiserman's track record with Team USA is impressive. He tallied over a goal per game at the Under-17 World Challenge and in both of his trips to the Under-18s. Doing the same at the world junior will be tough, but the 2024 20th overall pick will be one of the tournament's most dangerous shooters.

Perreault is the favorite to lead the tournament in points. He's the top-scoring player returning from last year's world juniors and has been his typical self at Boston College this season. The 2023 23rd overall pick has racked up 23 points in 16 games, making him the top NCAA scorer at the tournament as well.

The tournament's host city only has one representative from its NHL team. Nikitin will start for Kazakhstan and face a barrage of shots each game. The 2023 seventh-round pick was exceptional at the Division 1A tournament last year to win Kazakhstan promotion to this year's world juniors. Nikitin needs to be similarly spectacular if his nation is to avoid relegation.

Luchanko went from a surprising top-15 pick in June to making the Philadelphia Flyers out of training camp. The London, Ontario, native is one of two Team Canada players to appear in the NHL this season and will play a key bottom-six role. Look for Canada to lean on the speedy two-way center in defensive situations.

Howe was a Hockey Canada favorite at the under-18 level, so it's no surprise to see him make this world junior team. The Saskatchewan native is tough to play against and will be a stereotypical Canadian bottom-six winger. He can flash some offense too, as he's been a consistent scorer in the WHL and has nine points in six games since joining the Calgary Hitmen.

Dickinson is having an outrageous campaign with the OHL's London Knights. The 2024 11th overall pick leads all defensemen in the CHL with 15 goals and 46 points in 26 games this season, but it looks like he'll have to earn his minutes with Team Canada. Still, Sharks fans will want to keep a close eye on San Jose's top blue-line prospect.

Catton has continued to dominate the WHL this season with 14 goals and 47 points in 28 games. The 2024 eighth overall selection will play prime offensive minutes for Team Canada. He'll begin the tournament flanked by fellow Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf and potential 2025 first overall pick Porter Martone.

Dvorsky has made the jump to the AHL look easy with 11 goals and 20 points in 25 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 2023 10th overall pick returns for his fourth and final world juniors with Slovakia, where he'll need to be an MVP candidate for the Slovaks to make some noise.

Gauthier is one of a handful of hard-to-play-against, forechecking Canadian wingers who can put the puck in the net, and they'll battle one another for bottom-six minutes. He'll be the third member of the Gauthier family to suit up for Canada at the world juniors. His dad, Denis, won gold in 1996, and his cousin, Julien, played on the 2016 and 2017 teams.

Consistency is the name of Cowan's game. You know what you're getting from the 2023 28th overall pick every night: just look at his 56-game regular-season point streak in the OHL. He'll play a much bigger role at this tournament after being a fine top-nine winger last year. Cowan has thrived in big moments, with statement games in the OHL playoffs and at the Memorial Cup. A world juniors on Canadian soil is right up his alley and could bring the best out of the Strathroy, Ontario, native.

Czechia can make noise at the world juniors again if Hrabal has a strong showing. The 6-foot-6 netminder started all seven games for his nation last year but had an up-and-down tournament. Hrabal has a .940 save percentage over his last six games with UMass Amherst. If he can maintain that level for Czechia, he'll be a strong challenger for Best Goaltender honors.

Willander has flown somewhat under the radar since the Canucks drafted him 11th overall in 2023. The smooth-skating, right-handed defenseman has been superb at Boston University and has played over 20 minutes per game this season. Expect Willander to take on a major role for Team Sweden, particularly on the defensive side.

Connelly has been productive to commence his NCAA career with 11 points through 12 games at Providence College. The big question is whether he can keep his emotions in check. The 2024 19th overall pick essentially cost the United States gold at the Under-18s in the spring. Canada scored three power-play goals after Connelly took a major penalty in the third period of the championship game. That can't happen again.

Leonard would be playing in the Capitals' top nine had he turned pro this summer. Instead, he opted to return to Boston College to chase a national championship, and he enters the world juniors as arguably the best forward at the tournament and Team USA's captain. The 2023 eighth overall pick possesses an exciting blend of skill and power, perhaps best encapsulated by his goal in the gold-medal game in January.

Yager is the top-scoring Canadian returning from last year. Canada's captain may be deployed in more of a checking role, but he has the shot and offensive skill to make his presence felt on the scoresheet. The Jets acquired the 2023 14th overall selection from the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer for Rutger McGroarty.