At this moment, around the globe, people are anxious for the holiday season. If you find yourself reading this article, then you’re probably anxiously awaiting and frantically preparing for an event that is almost every bit as important for you, the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. 

And if so, then you’re in the right place.

This year’s tournament, taking place just five months after the postponed 2022 World Juniors was carried out in Edmonton, will now feature a boatload of future stars at the international level, with several names being among the most exciting players on the planet not yet taking a regular shift in the NHL. Well, a couple of them have been already. Below we’ll highlight just a few of the many young men from the ten teams you’ll want to make sure to catch at this year’s event.

Group A (Halifax)

Austria

Vinzenz Rohrer - 18 - C/RW - (OHL)
For Rohrer, this tournament would be a whole lot easier if old colleague (and Detroit Red Wings 2021 first rounder) Marco Kasper were along for the ride, but now the burden of leading the tournament’s biggest underdog to a quarter-final spot lays firmly on the shoulders of this Montreal Canadians draft pick, an Ottawa 67’s player who knows how to win battles in the corners and get the puck to the net.

David Reinbacher - 18 - D - Kloten (SUI, NL)
Reinbacher has been spending this fall making himself a very hot topic for next season’s NHL draft. And it’s clear as to why when a smooth-skating, 190 cm, righty shot defender is putting up 0.50 points per game in Switzerland’s top professional league. When the game is on the line for Austria, he’ll be on the ice. Recently made his debut for the men’s national team, so there’s that.

Canada

Connor Bedard - 17 - C/RW - Regina Pats (WHL)
Seemingly from another solar system, Bedard is the most highly touted talent outside of the NHL since Connor McDavid. In fact, if it were permitted by the rules, he’d likely be playing NHL hockey right now. Instead, he’ll be flashing his wares - under the heaviest of microscopes - right at home in the biggest junior tournament on the planet. Easy for one of the most exciting talents you’ll ever want to see.

Brandt Clarke - 19 - D - Los Angeles Kings (NHL)
Fleet-footed and one of the passers on this team, if not the tournament, Clarke has spent this season skating for the Los Angeles Kings (9 games) and their AHL affiliate (5 games), making him one of the biggest profiles you’ll see in Halifax. A huge component for Coach Williams plans on an already star-studded blueline.

Dylan Guenther - 19 - RW/LW - Arizona Coyotes (NHL)
If you think you just saw this young man recently at an NHL rink, you’re probably right. With 21 games (11 points) under his belt in the NHL this season, Guenther’s participation in this tournament will surprise more than a few, but he’s ready to occupy the Ovechkin spot on the top power play unit and score goals until he’s got a chunk of gold around his neck.

Shane Wright - 18 - C - Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL)
Captain Canada has seen 8 games of NHL action and another five (5 goals) in the AHL this season. After missing the summer U20 session, he’s now here to add some new hardware to his trophy cabinet after being a dominant force (14 points in 5 games) in earning gold at the 2021 U18 Worlds. You’re going to hear his name a lot, one way or another.

Olen Zellweger - 19 - D - Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Zellweger is the reigning WHL defender of the year and is tearing apart that league from the blueline again this season. About the smallest player on Canada’s blueline, Zellweger’s 11 points were instrumental in gaining gold this past summer and you shouldn’t be surprised in the least if he ends up being this tournament’s best defender, if not overall MVP.

Czechia

David Jiricek - 19 - D - Cleveland Monsters (AHL)
Selected 6th overall in last summer’s NHL draft, Jiricek has already made the move from pro hockey in Czechia to his first two NHL games and now 19 AHL contests, in which he has a whopping 20 points. Blowing away expectations at this early juncture, Czechia needs him to blow away the competition here if they’re to repeat their semifinal appearance this past summer.

Jiri Kulich - 18 - C/W - Rochester Americans (AHL)
One of the Buffalo Sabres’ three first-round picks this past summer, Kulich has joined Jiricek in jumping from Czechia’s top league to the AHL, where he has 16 points in 24 games this season. He’s got a bomb of a shot, put the constant use on the power play and was the top goal scorer (9) at the U18 Worlds last spring. Oh, and he’s coming off of 8 points in 7 games at the summer World Juniors.

Stanislav Svozil - 19 - D - Regina Pats (WHL)
Like Jiricek, a draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Svozil is now a bonafide veteran of this tournament as this is his third appearance. A true all-purpose weapon for his coach, Svozil is currently a teammate of Canada’s Connor Bedard and seems to be enjoying that status as he has 32 assists and 37 total points in just 28 games this season. 

Germany

Roman Kechter - 18 - C - Nuremberg Ice Tigers (GER, DEL)
After spending a few seasons as a junior with the Rogle program in Sweden, Kechter is back in Germany and making his way in a lower line role as one of the youngest players in the DEL. He meant a lot to the U18 squad last spring and is pumped to “arrive” on the international stage at this event. Coach Abstreiter will be giving him every opportunity to do so.

Bennet Rossmy - 19 - C/LW - Eisbären Berlin (GER, DEL)
Weighing in at a hulking 192 cm and 95 kg, Rossmy will be the team’s captain and is the returning top scorer (5 points in as many games) from the summer World Juniors. He’s currently taking a regular shift for reigning DEL champion Berlin and will be the team’s go-to offensive weapon in Halifax.

Simon Wolf - 18 - G - Red Bull Juniors (AUT, AlpsHL)
Don’t let his numbers at recent U18 Worlds fool you. The well-schooled 190 cm, 90 kg netminder has a good shot at being the man in net, and thus a key to any success Germany should enjoy in the days to come. He’s killing it for the Red Bull Juniors of the AlpsHL this season (a 9-1 record) and defeated Slovakia 5-0 in a pre-tournament test game.

Sweden

Leo Carlsson - 17 - LW - Orebro (SWE, SHL)
A supreme combo of talent and size, Carlsson is considered a likely top 5 pick in next summer’s NHL draft. He currently has 14 points in 25 SHL games for Orebro and has both the figure and skating ability to bulldoze his way through or around opponents at this tournament. A top six role is in the cards despite his age.

Fabian Lysell - 19 - RW - (AHL)
One of the contestants in this tournament who seems to be on the fast track to the NHL, Lysell left SHL Lulea last season to gain North American experience in the WHL. After an impressive playoffs, he had a starring role at the summer World Juniors (6 points in 7 games) and is now putting up just about a point per game in the AHL (19 points in 20 games). If anyone is shooting Sweden to gold, it’ll be Lysell.

Isak Rosen - 19 - LW - Rochester Americans (AHL)
He played a minor role for Leksand in the SHL last season but jumped out of the gates in an impressive manner this season in the AHL with 15 points in his first 25 games. The Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick is one of several contestants in the tournament to currently be playing AHL hockey and will be looked at as an offense-creating first liner who really knows how to make use of passing lines.

Axel Sandin Pellikka - 17 - D - Skelleftea (SWE, SHL)
His NHL draft stock has been rising quickly all fall long and you don’t have to spend too much time watching him strut his stuff on SHL ice to figure out why. Extremely smooth as both a skater and a stickhandler, Sandin Pellikka is looking like a premiere talent moving forward and in light of the overall blandness of Sweden’s current blueline, could wiggle his way into a starring role the next 10 days.

Group B (Moncton)

Finland

Joakim Kemell - 18 - RW - JYP Jyvaskyla (FIN, Liiga)
In his second season of Liiga play, and not quite making the impact he did during his draft year, Kemell is a first round draft pick of the Nashville Predators and one of the top returnees to these World Juniors. This past summer, he contributed 12 (!) points in 7 games to help his nation to silver. He’s going to need to follow up on that achievement if Finland is to contend for gold.

Aron Kiviharju - 16 - D - TPS Turku U20 (FIN, U20 SM-sarja)
You can’t be faulted for seeing the age of this young man and doing a double-take. But this fella isn’t just along for the ride. Already a veteran of six Liiga contests, Kiviharju was a cog for the bronze medalist at last spring’s U18 Worlds and is the most highly touted Finnish defender since Miro Heiskanen. It’s high time you find out at this tournament.

Brad Lambert - 19 - C/RW -  Manitoba Moose (AHL)
Lambert has been participating at the World Juniros since he was 16, but he remains one of the more mercurial talents in the hockey world. Innately talented as a stickhandler and playmaker, and often faster than the speed of light, he just has not been able to put everything together with respect to production. But that’s exactly what Finland (finally) needs from him in the Maritimes. Can he deliver?

Latvia

Bogdans Hodass - 19 - D - Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
The general on the blueline for Latvia, Hodass is big (190 cm, 92 kg) and experienced, and made some noise with Latvia at last summer’s World Juniros. Physical when necessary, Hodass will be on the ice a lot for this Baltic nation.

Dans Locmelis - 18 - C - Lulea U20 (SWE, J20 Nationell)
A Boston Bruins draft pick, Locmelis is one of the top producers in Sweden's top U20 circuit. More importantly, he was a key forward for the Latvians at both the U18 and U20 tournaments this year. Widely considered of pro quality at this very moment, he will attend the University of Massachusetts next fall.

Sandis Vilmanis - 18 - LW - Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Of good size and tricky at high speeds, Vilmanis is Locmelis’ partner in crime and has been his linemate in Lulea, at the U18 Worlds, and once again at the World Juniors last summer. He’s now honing his craft on North American ice with the Sarnia Sting (24 points in 29 games) and will look to put his stamp on this tournament. Could be the key player in a possible relegation round.

Slovakia

Dalibor Dvorsky - 17 - RW/LW - AIK Stockholm (SWE, HockeyAllsvenskan)
This team features several NHL-drafted forwards, but not one of them has the mesmerizing upside of Dvorsky, who has been nothing but magic in his young career to date. Crafty, tricky, and seemingly gliding around the ice with eyes in the back of his head, Dvorsky is a generator of offence and can make opponents look silly in their attempts to defend against him. Should deliver several highlights at this tournament.

Samuel Honzek - 18 - C -  Vancouver Giants (WHL)
With all the big names coming out of Slovakia in recent years, the 191 cm tall Honzek has seemingly come out of nowhere this season to lead the Vancouver Giants in scoring with 43 points in 31 games. He’s got a big body and some mighty nice mitts. Furthermore, this tournament could go a long way in enhancing his draft profile next summer, so expect him to be firing on all cylinders.

Simon Nemec - 18 - D - Utica Comets (AHL)
The 2nd overall draft pick at last summer’s NHL draft, Nemec is a star in the making as his journey to the NHL has already started with some successful hockey at the AHL level, but Slovakia is going to need him to be their star at this tournament. He’s a good bet to get upwards of 25 minutes of ice time per game and will be a leader on and off the ice. Considerable pro experience to this point.

Switzerland

Attilio Biasca - C/LW - 19 - Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
The returning top scorer for Switzerland from the summer World Juniors (6 points in 5 games), Biasca can do a lot of things with the puck on his stick and is in the midst of his finest season in Canadian juniors, playing for one of the host cities no less. He’s going to need to be in the middle of any success Switzerland enjoys in a very evenly matched group.

Lian Bichsel - 18 - D - Leksands IF (SWE, SHL)
One of the biggest players at this event (196 cm and 98 kg), Bichsel is a Dallas Stars first pick from last summer and is currently eating up minutes - and opposing attackers - in the Swedish SHL. Despite being part of a blueline with lots of Canadian juniors experience, he’s the guy who’s going to be tasked with shutting down any and everybody of note.

Lorenzo Canonica - C - 19 - Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Having not been able to participate in the summer World Juniors, Canonica is back in the fray having been one of Switzerland’s top performers at the 2021 edition. His considerable QMJHL experience has him pegged as a first line component expected to generate in spades. The crafty center might just do that! 

United States 

Logan Cooley - 18 - C - University of Minnesota (NCAA)
The third overall pick of the 2022 NHL draft (Arizona Coyotes), the U18 silver medalist has jumped from being a topflight producer for the USNTDP to a topflight producer at the college level as a pure freshman (25 points in 19 games). He’ll man the U.S.’s top line in New Brunswick and you’re going to see him on every power play. Flash ‘n dash guaranteed.

Luke Hughes - 19 - D - University of Michigan (NCAA)
Imagine being the youngest of three brothers, your two older brothers are already NHL stars, and you’re not only the biggest of three, but considered by some as having the most upside. No problem for Luke Hughes. The U.S. captain is the ideal mix of skills, physical attributes, and the wherewithal to be a threat every time he’s on the ice. One of the most complete players in this tournament, he’s looking to build on the 6 points he had in 5 contests at the summer event.

Lane Hutson - 18 - D - Boston University (NCAA)
Guaranteed to be one of the most fun players to watch at this tournament, Hutson is just a little tyke, but mixes supreme skating and stickhandling skills with a ton of moxie. A power play specialist, Hutson is currently having a season for the ages with 18 points in 16 games at Boston University, almost unheard of from an 18-year old freshman. Have fun with Hutson.

Jimmy Snuggerud - 18 - RW - University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Joining USNTDP and Minnesota teammate Cooley on the first line, his 27 points in 20 NCAA games as a true freshman only highlight the potential of this St. Louis Blues first round pick. A husky winger, he can play the game any way it comes and gives this US squad a whole lot of jam and space for his teammates. No reason he can’t be the tournament’s top goal scorer.