GOTHENBURG, Sweden — The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships concluded today with a riveting gold medal game as Team USA beat Sweden 6-2. Jonathan Lekkerimaki was named MVP of the tournament by the media. Over the last 10 days, here are the main players I was impressed by, and the players who I thought underperformed relative to what was expected of them.
Standouts
Gavin Brindley, RW, Columbus (USA)
Brindley was arguably USA’s most consistent player all tournament. He’s a tiny forward, but he plays like he’s 6-foot-2 and has a ton of pace in his game. Brindley was buzzing all over the ice at even strength. He won a ton of races to pucks and often outmuscled or straight out knocked over much bigger players. On top of that he generated quite a bit of offense for the USA, and by the end of the tournament was bumped up to the first power-play unit. If you’re a Blue Jackets fan watching Brindley, you saw why they picked him high in the second round despite his frame.
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Macklin Celebrini, C, 2024 Draft Eligible (Canada)
Celebrini was Canada’s clear top forward in the tournament. The 17-year-old showed excellent pace to go with his outstanding skill and creativity with the puck and was a constant offensive threat when he was on the ice. He was dangerous on the power play and at even strength although he was held off the score sheet in Canada’s two most important games against Czechia and Sweden. He looked like a player with potential star qualities as a pro.
Cutter Gauthier, C, Philadelphia (USA)
Gauthier was the top forward on the tournament’s top offense. There weren’t many defenders who could handle his combination of size, speed and skill. Known as a goal scorer, it was Gauthier’s playmaking that stood out more in this tournament as he struggled to find the back of the net on his touted shot up until the semifinals in a late, crucial moment. I wouldn’t call Gauthier’s tournament a dominant one, but he tilted the ice when he was out there and showed why he is a top NHL prospect.
Canada’s top defense pairing
Canada had to heavily lean on their top duo of Denton Mateychuk (CBJ) and Maveric Lamoureux (ARI) and they delivered. Mateychuk is an excellent skater who was often asked to carry pucks up ice and make plays in transition. Lamoureux is a massive human who skates well for his size and is quite physical. His puck play was inconsistent but his first pass was good enough to make a positive contribution when he was on the ice. They both made a lot of defensive stops and kept the play moving in the right direction.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Vancouver (Sweden)
This tournament was some of the best and most consistent hockey I’ve seen from Lekkerimaki. Everyone knows he’s a very skilled player and has a great shot. Those elements were often on display, making a lot happen around the puck and being lethal for Sweden on the power play. What I liked more from Lekkerimaki was his effort. He was often engaged without the puck, winning one-on-one battles and creating his own opportunities. At times I’ve thought he was a low-effort perimeter shooter, but I was quite intrigued by the way he played when pressure was the highest for Sweden.
Noah Ostlund, C, Buffalo (Sweden)
Ostlund was Sweden’s top center and was their clear best play driver in the tournament. He’s an excellent skater who could push the pace and make a lot of tough plays with the puck at full speed. Ostlund isn’t overly physical, but his effort level was high, and he was often around the play and finding ways to maintain puck possession. Ostlund did a lot of the important work to get his teammate Lekkerimaki the puck, while also creating a lot of scoring chances and goals himself too.
Sweden’s blue line
As I write this, I don’t know who the IIHF will name the top defenseman in the tournament. I presume it will be someone on Sweden. Their defense unit was the best part of their team, but I personally didn’t see one name rise above the rest. Elias Pettersson (VAN), Mattias Havelid (SJS), Theo Lindstein (STL), Tom Willander (VAN), Elias Salomonsson (WPG) and Axel Sandin Pellikka (DET) all played well. All six of those players skate well, moved pucks efficiently and competed hard. Sandin Pellikka provided important power play offense. Lindstein was a story of the tournament coming in as an injury replacement and being a top player for Sweden. Pettersson, Salomonsson and Willander were very solid defenders who made life tough on opponents and Willander’s skating often stood out.
Boston College line
I actually thought USA’s third line, centered by Will Smith (SJS) in between Gabe Perreault (NYR) and Ryan Leonard (WSH), was very average in the round robin. Over the tournament they were not USA’s best players. But in the big moments, in particular the semifinal versus Finland and the gold medal game versus Sweden, they were their best line. Smith found his game after an uneasy start, and by the end of the tournament was displaying his dynamic playmaking. Leonard was a constant threat on the forecheck and in transition and willed his way into a crucial late goal in the gold medal game. Perreault’s pace will be criticized by NHL scouts, but with the puck he makes so much happen and was often around critical plays in the medal round.
Lane Hutson (MTL) / Ryan Chesley (WSH) pairing
I reluctantly include this one in the standout section because there were times in this tournament I thought this pairing for USA was just OK. Hutson, a dynamic offensive player who has dominated Hockey East, ends with six points in seven games. He was not the dazzling playmaker here that I was expecting. But on a thin blue line when USA needed to lean on someone to play big minutes, they turned to those two and they delivered reliable play. They played nearly half the gold medal game, moved the puck well and made defensive stops. Hutson showed his high-end skill and elusiveness even if the plays he was trying to make didn’t often connect. He got a deserving nod as one of the top two defensemen at the tournament even if it wasn’t his best hockey.
Slovakia’s Dalibor Dvorsky had an up-and-down tournament. (Bjoern Larsson Rosvall / TT News Agency via AP)
Disappointments
Canada’s top six forwards
Along with Celebrini, the rest of Canada’s top six forwards were Jordan Dumais (CBJ), Conor Geekie (ARI) Fraser Minten (TOR) Matthew Poitras (BOS), and Matt Savoie (BUF). This group ultimately let the team down when they needed them the most. In the tough games against Finland, Sweden and Czechia, they combined for four points, and two of those came on an empty net goal. Nobody in this group played amazing, but I actually didn’t mind Geekie’s tournament. So we turn our focus to the pure scorers/offensive types, like Dumais, Savoie and Poitras. These are small, highly skilled playmakers whose job is to score, and they didn’t. Dumais and Poitras in particular drew the ire of scouts in attendance because their game lacked pace and there was no consistent display of their high-end skill. Savoie looked like a basic speed and skill small winger even though he was a bit more noticeable. Minten was given a massive role by Canada and didn’t deliver. He’s a smart and competitive player, but lacks dynamic qualities for the big offensive position he was put in.
Filip Bystedt, C, San Jose (Sweden)
After Bystedt was a top player for Sweden in the previous tournament, I thought he was just OK in this year’s event. He was still an important player for Sweden, as a big, mobile center with skill who was flanking their PP2. I didn’t see a ton of playmaking in his game though, and I thought his overall effort level didn’t meet the level of his teammates like Noah Ostlund and David Edstrom down the middle.
Dalibor Dvorsky, C, St. Louis (Slovakia)
Dvorsky’s tournament was up and down. He was actually good in the quarterfinal versus Finland, but given his significant skill level, and being a near-two-point-per-game player in the OHL, finishing fourth on Slovakia in scoring was a letdown. Dvorsky flashed his great skill and offensive sense, but I thought his effort in the round robin was in and out, which to go with a lack of pace in his game isn’t an ideal combination. That’s been the story of his season, and why he had trouble playing against men in the first half in Sweden before coming to the OHL. He’s very talented but Dvorsky does need to find a way to become a bit more consistent.
What’s a world juniors article without a roster projection? Just to stir the pot a bit, I’m going to give way, way too early Team Canada and USA projections for the 2025 tournament:
Projected Team Canada 2025
Carson Rehkopf–Berkly Catton–Porter Martone
Easton Cowan–Cayden Lindstrom–Matthew Wood
Colby Barlow–Brayden Yager–Roger McQueen
Denver Barkey–Kalan Lind–Tanner Howe
Calum Ritchie
Sam Dickinson–Carter Yakemchuk
Tanner Molendyk–Oliver Bonk
Caden Price–Charlie Elick
Zayne Parekh
Scott Ratzlaff
Carson Bjarnasson
Projected Team USA 2025
Gabe Perreault–Will Smith–Ryan Leonard
Cole Eiserman–James Hagens–Quentin Musty
Oliver Moore–Danny Nelson–Trevor Connelly
Carey Terrance–Brodie Ziemer–William Whitelaw
Tanner Adams
Zeev Buium–Aram Minnetian
Drew Fortescue–Logan Hensler
Cole Hutson–E.J. Emery
Zach Schulz
Trey Augustine
Hampton Slukynsky
(Photo of Sweden’s Jonathan Lekkerimaki and USA’s Lane Hutson: Bjorn Larsson Rosvall / TT News Agency / AFP via Getty Images)