It’s that time of year once again. While Christmas trees and wads of crumbled wrapping paper are being dragged to the curb, the best prospects under the age of 20 are gathered to play in one of the top international tournaments in hockey. It’s World Juniors time. Officially known as the IIHF Mens’ Under-20 World Junior Championship, the tournament begins today with ten international teams gathering in Minnesota to compete over the next two weeks for international glory.
In Group A, the best junior players from the United States, Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany will play each other. Over in Group B, the contestants are Finland, Czechia, Canada, Latvia, and Denmark. The round-robin style group play will lead to the top four teams advancing to the knock-out stage. After a quarter-final and semi-final round, the teams left standing will meet in the gold medal game on January 5 at 7:30 EST.
Team USA is going for a three-peat while the Canadians are hoping to bring the gold back to what they believe is its rightful home. According to the sharps, Team Canada is the odd-on favorite at +105 with the United States second (+200) and Sweden is third (+460). While they may not medal, Czechia and Finland usually have a solid showing in these tournaments.
In a tournament littered with first-round draft picks and undrafted prospects expected to go high in future drafts, the Tampa Bay Lightning, not known for their stash of highly-drafted players, still manages to have a decent representation. This year is no different as three players from the organization are in Minnesota this week, hoping to leave the tournament with a medal around their neck.
Team USA
Caleb Heil – Goaltender – Madison Capitals – USHL – (10-4-2, 2.60 GAA, .891 SV%)
The seventh-round pick from the 2025 draft will be participating in his first U-20 championship, and there is a chance he’ll be the number-one netminder by the time the tournament is over. His main competition is Nick Kempf, a fourth-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2024. Kempf has had the bulk of the play in the exhibition games with Heil getting 33:02 of ice time in a 3-1 win over Finland on Tuesday.
Heil has played his way onto the team with a strong season in the USHL, posting a 2.60 GAA for Madison. The netminder took the 23rd spot in our Top 25 Under 25 and had a strong rookie camp over the summer. The 19-year-old is committed to the University of North Dakota next season.
Team Finland
Joona Saarelainen – Center – KalPa – Liiga (1 goal, 8 assists in 27 games)
The play-making center is back for his second shot at gold with Team Finland after picking up one assist in seven games during the 2025 tournament. Saarelainen saw his ice time dip as the tournament progressed last January, but with one of the top Finnish forwards, Konsta Helenius, staying with Rochester in the AHL, there will be an opportunity for the Lightning prospect to have an impact.
He should see some time on the power play where he can be the most dangerous with his puck-handling ability, and is expected to wear an “A” on his sweater as part of Finland’s leadership team. It’s been a solid, if somewhat unspectacular season in the Liiga for Saarelainen. The 19-year-old, who bounced around a little last season, has spent the entire year with KalPa, registering nine points in 27 games. A solid performance in this year’s tournament could bump him up from the 18th spot in the Top 25 Under 25 rankings.
Team Canada
Sam O’Reilly – Center – London Knights – OHL (12 goals, 16 assists in 28 games)
On any other team in this tournament, Sam O’Reilly is probably a top-six forward. On the stacked Canadian team, he’s probably going to have more of a depth role, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be effective. He does have the advantage of being in good with the head coach. Dale Hunter, the man behind the bench for Team Canada, is also O’Reilly’s head coach in London.
Hunter knows exactly what the Knights’ captain brings to the ice. He is versatile, with the ability to play both center and wing. The fifth-ranked prospect in Raw Charge’s latest countdown, O’Reilly brings an endless supply of energy and a bit of surprising physicality to the game that makes him a nightmare to deal with on the forecheck. Mixed with his offense, he’s an ideal third-line center on this stacked Canadian roster.
As always, the games will be broadcast exclusively on the NHL Network in the United States. Click here for the schedule of games.
