World juniors 2024 roster predictions: We pick Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland

The 2024 world juniors, to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, are around the corner.

To get you set for the tournament, The Athletic’s prospects writers, Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman, each built projected lineups for the four traditional superpowers of Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland.

We’ve elected to exclude the following players who we think won’t be loaned to their national teams: Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken/Canada), Adam Fantilli (Columbus Blue Jackets/Canada), Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins/Canada), Kevin Korchinski (Chicago Blackhawks/Canada), Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes/USA), Leo Carlsson (Anaheim Ducks/Sweden).

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Though Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets/USA) was injured over the weekend, we have tentatively included him for now.

Team Canada

Building out Team Canada is going to be a game of figuring out which natural centres to move to the wing. Five of the eight so-called wingers here have either taken more than 100 faceoffs in junior (Conor Geekie, Frasen Minten, Easton Cowan, Denver Barkey) this year or would have if they hadn’t started with the NHL/AHL club (Matthew Savoie). I think you can expect Macklin Celebrini, Nate Danielson and Owen Beck to be locks down the middle, though, which really only leaves one job up for grabs. I’ve pencilled Breydan Yager into it because it made sense to keep him with Moose Jaw teammate and frequent linemate Jagger Firkus. This group is deeper in right-shot wingers than left-shot ones so it made more sense for guys like Geekie and Minten (both lefties) to go over. It was tempting to keep the Wenatchee Wild trio of Zach Benson, Geekie and Savoie together, but I prefer Geekie on the wing and think he could really click opposite a player like Jordan Dumais.

The toughest calls up front were on Cowan and Barkey. They’d be a bit of a surprise after neither was invited to Hockey Canada’s virtual summer meetings, but they have built-in chemistry, they might be the two best penalty-killers in the CHL, and they fit the energetic and up-tempo fourth-line prototype for Hockey Canada (although I do wonder if this group is a little smaller up front than Canada’s brass would like). My final cut at forward was Jets first-round pick Colby Barlow (followed by the Kraken’s Carson Rehkopf), who has been banged up recently and I thought struggled with the pace of play on international ice at U18 Worlds in the spring.

On defence, Denton Mateychuk as the No. 1 LHD and all three of those RHD should be locks. That leaves two jobs on the left side and an extra. I went with Jorian Donovan alongside Tristan Luneau as a harder-minutes pairing and Michael Buchinger to round out the third pairing opposite the length of Maveric Lamoureux. The right-handed Ty Nelson makes sense as a No. 7 who could run the power play in a pinch. Watch out for undrafted 19-year-old Erie captain Spencer Sova as a sneaky candidate to make this team in place of a guy like Donovan, though. — Scott Wheeler 

Canada’s forward group is very talented, but there are questions for this group heading into the tournament. Geekie, Danielson and Yager are all excellent players, but none of them are the ideal 1C you’d like for this level of play. Wright could be that for Canada but he likely will not be made available by Seattle. The next issue will be size. It’s a small, albeit highly skilled group of wingers. How these forwards will fare against a blue line like Sweden’s will be interesting. It’s why I think Rehkopf can make this team even as an 18-year-old. He is 6-foot-1, skates quite well and can provide legit offense, which makes him different from the rest of the wingers.

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Canada’s blue line is more exciting. In this set of players, they have size, mobility and puck-moving in spades. Korchinski would add a dynamic element of defense that they lack, but they should be fine without him.

The major question for Canada is in goal. The projected goalies for them in this tournament are a bit of a mystery. Some of the names scouts thought could be the starter — Domenic DiVincentis, Scott Raztlaff or Carson Bjarnason — haven’t played well this season. — Corey Pronman

Team USA

The tournament favourites for me this year, this American group is loaded, particularly up front where there are going to be some big names — first-round picks, leading scorers with NCAA teams, and maybe even a future No. 1 and future top-three pick — left off.

The top six I’ve got here makes the most sense as a starting point for me, though. You’ve got three star returnees from the 2004 age group forming the top line, and then the 2005 trio that made up the best line in NTDP history and caught immediate fire at BC when they were reunited a couple of weekends into this season. After that, you have to pencil in a returnee in Gavin Brindley to the third line and I think, still, a returnee in Charlie Stramel even though he has battled health and his play early on this year. The real chemistry of former NTDP linemates Frank Nazar and Isaac Howard, who looked good together again at the World Junior Summer Showcase, makes a lot of sense alongside Brindley (who they’ve also played with), too. I’ve gone with Gavin Hayes and Cam Lund over Flyers prospect Devin Kaplan to add a little bit of size and positional versatility to the bottom-six, plus Moore, whose speed and work ethic fit there (Stramel could also centre that line, but I think he makes more sense as a wing on international ice).

You’ll notice that top 2024 and 2025 prospects Cole Eiserman and James Hagens aren’t on my team. Eiserman’s a top-six-or-not-at-all guy and those slots fill up pretty quickly. His chances of making the team are likely dependent on McGroarty’s health. Hagens was the toughest cut, because he’s got the talent to play top-six pretty easily. Eiserman and Hagens are obviously both eligible to play in next year’s tournament, too.

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On defence, they’re deeper in righties than lefties, so I’ve moved returnee Seamus Casey over to make room for Hunter Brzustewicz and Sam Rinzel, who I think have both earned a nod. I like Eric Pohlkamp as a hard-shooting, physical type who could fill in on the power play if it struggles as well. I could see them taking a player like 19-year-old Charlie Leddy if they feel the seven I’ve got here wouldn’t give them enough defensively/on the PK, though. — Scott Wheeler

USA’s biggest points of debate will be who makes this forward group, given the plethora of options, and who they pick for their blue line, given the opposite reason.

You can write the top six forwards, Will Smith and Ryan Leonard in. The debates start after that. With a ton of scoring options available on the wing between Gabe Perreault, Howard, Quentin Musty, Eiserman and Lund hard decisions will have to be made. Between those options, I think Perreault has looked the best this season. He’s been a critical part of a top NCAA team and has carried over his junior playmaking to the college level. Musty is a next year candidate for me. Eiserman struggled at the U18 Five Nations in November, likely nullifying any chance he had at making this team. Howard is very skilled but not a driver at even strength. Lund has size, skill and speed but is inconsistent. Stramel is a returning member from last year’s team but has struggled this season at Wisconsin. I’m guessing in this scenario he would get the edge given his success at the tournament last season.

Hagens is the 1C because he deserves to be in the lineup, but he isn’t likely ready to be that key a contributor right away. His minutes will likely need to be managed, but he’s between Cutter Gauthier and Jimmy Snuggerud so the Michigan trio and Smith trio can remain. — Corey Pronman

Team Sweden

The strength of this Swedish team is going to be on its blue line, with four players eligible to return (Axel Sandin Pellikka, Cale Odelius, Elias Pettersson and Jakob Noren), two more who would have been returnees if not for injuries last year (Mattias Havelid and Elias Salomonsson), a recent standout with the national team in Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson, and a first-rounder in Tom Willander. If you’re doing the math, that’s eight players for seven jobs. I elected to cut Noren but I wouldn’t be shocked if they stunned some people and didn’t bring Willander.

Up front, that first line has played together for years and should be one of the best lines in the tournament, Filip Bystedt led last year’s team in scoring and should centre the second line, and Fabian Wagner and Oskar Pettersson are two other returnees who will play important roles. I like Otto Stenberg, David Edstrom and Felix Unger Sorum, Sweden’s top line from last year’s U18 Worlds, to reunite as a third line, and Anton Wahlberg and Isac Born to make it based on performance domestically and internationally, plus positional versatility (Wahlberg’s a natural centre, for example). Alexander Suzdalev’s an interesting one because he hasn’t played much this season after starting with Hershey in the AHL only to go back to Sweden, but he’s a lefty with talent who I think deserves to be there. — Scott Wheeler 

Sweden’s lineup may lack some true high-end talent that you may be used to seeing over the years, which would be different if Leo Carlsson were available. The lineup is very deep at both forward and defense, though with three legit scoring lines and seven quality defensemen who can all skate and move pucks well. This isn’t a gold-medal-favorite group, but this group did win gold at the U18 level with the same expectations. — Corey Pronman

Team Finland

This Finnish team is going to be without top 2024 D prospect Aron Kiviharju and Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi due to injuries, plus returnee Topi Ronni who is facing criminal charges in Finland. As a result, even with us penciling in Predators first-round pick Joakim Kemell to play in the tournament for a fourth time, they’re going to have to rely on some youth up front. Konsta Helenius, their top prospect for 2024, is a lock, but they could bring Emil Hemming as well. They’ve got some size to offset some of that youth, too, with big forwards like Kasper Halttunen, Rasmus Kumpulainen and Samu Bau — I’ve also included the towering Jesse Pulkkinen, who makes the team over a big drafted D like Kalle Kangas.

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I’ll be interested to see what they do at left wing up front after Jani Nyman, because they’re stronger on the right side (I’ve moved a righty in Halttunen over), where I like Lenni Hameenaho to have a nice showing. My final cut up front was speedy left-handed Penguins prospect Emil Jarventie in favour of the even faster and stronger 19-year-old Tommi Mannisto.

I must say: It has also been nice to see twice-undrafted 19-year-old D Elmeri Laakso get a look with the under-20 team recently, because if they take him I think he’s capable of playing a big role and helping his NHL stock.

In net, Niklas Kokko’s a returnee and I’ve gone with Sabres prospect Topias Leinonen even though he has only recently returned from injury, and 2024 prospect Eemil Vinni (who stopped 37/38 at the fall Five Nations for them), to round things out. — Scott Wheeler 

There aren’t a ton of tough decisions for Finland in regard to high-end draft eligibles or drafted players; most of the expected names make this team. For Finland, it will be whether they can find some help from some less heralded names. Jere Lassila is a good junior player who is small but quick and skilled. Pulkkinen is a tall defenseman with a chance to be good at the tournament. — Corey Pronman

Other potential prospects of note

• Slovakia: Dalibor Dvorsky (Blues), Maxim Strbak (Sabres), Simon Nemec (Devils), Filip Mesar (Canadiens), Adam Gajan (Blackhawks), Adam Sykora (Rangers), Alex Ciernik (Flyers), Martin Misiak (Blackhawks), Samuel Honzek (Flames)
• Czechia: Jiri Kulich (Sabres), Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights), Eduard Sale (Kraken), Adam Jecho (2024), Tomas Hamara (Senators), Adam Jiricek (2024), Jakub Dvorak (Kings), Michael Hrabal (Coyotes)
• Switzerland: Lian Bichsel (Stars), Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks), Daniil Ustinkov (2024)
• Germany: Julian Lutz (Coyotes)
• Latvia: Dans Locmelis (Bruins), Sandis Vilmanis (Panthers), Eriks Mateiko (2024)
• Norway: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (2024)

(Top photos of Cutter Gauthier and Macklin Celebrini: Samppa Toivonen / Apollo Photo / DeFodi Images via Getty Images, Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images)