The World Junior Championship is one of the most high-profile showcases for top draft-eligible talent and this year offers an awful lot to see. Each of the projected top-three players in the draft are slated to compete in the 2025 World Juniors, and each should be seeing regular ice time, too.

• Team USA Roster For 2025 World Juniors Led By James Hagens, Ryan Leonard
  
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• Canada Announces Final Roster For 2025 WJC
• Follow FloHockey's Coverage Of The 2025 World Junior Championship

The trio of the most highly-anticipated players are James Hagens of Team USA, and Team Canada’s Matthew Schaefer and Porter Martone. Additionally, the top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft – Gavin McKenna of Canada – is also playing in the tournament. 

The conversation for the upcoming draft usually ramps after the World Junior Championship and this event can really set the narrative for the second half of the year. You have to remember not to read too much into seven games of hockey in the course of a long season, but there’s no question that these two weeks can really help a player’s stock dramatically.

Here's a look at some of the key 2025 NHL Draft eligible players to watch.

2025 NHL Draft Eligibles To Watch

James Hagens, C, USA

Hagens has plenty to gain at this WJC after both Porter Martone and Matthew Schaefer have seemingly gained ground on the presumptive No. 1 prospect. Hagens will be USA’s top center, playing alongside his regular linemates. He’s being put in a position to succeed and put up points. Should he be a significant piece of USA’s quest for back-to-back gold medals, his stock will only go up. 

Hagens is a speedy, shifty forward with dynamic playmaking ability. Playing alongside an elite finisher like Ryan Leonard (WSH) and an offensive force like Gabe Perreault (NYR) only enhances the likelihood that Hagens puts up the points and has the impact scouts want to see from him.

Matthew Schaefer, D, Canada

He’s one of the youngest players eligible for this year’s draft and it looks like he’s secured a top-four spot on Canada’s blue line at the World Juniors. He’s beating out more senior players and guys that have been high draft picks for the role. If he gets a spot on Canada’ power play on top of that, the points should follow. Schaefer has seen the buzz of his No. 1 candidacy only grow in the last several weeks.

After starting the season battling mono, he’s come back and looked like his old self. He was part of Canada’s gold-medal team at the Under-18 Worlds last year and captained Canada to first at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He’s an elite two-way defenseman who has a chance to be a No. 1 at the next level. The fact he’s getting such a big role for Canada at such a young age puts him on a clear trajectory to have a big tournament.

Porter Martone, RW, Canada

A power winger with plenty of international experience already, Martone has the size and the skill to make an impact for Canada. We’ll see where he ultimately slots in the lineup, but playing a regular shift in Canada’s top nine would put him in a position to have a strong tournament. I don’t think he’ll have the same level of impact as a Hagens or Schaefer, given where he’ll be in the lineup, but if he works his way up the lineup or even just manages to excel in the role he has, he’ll certainly keep himself in the conversation.

Victor Eklund, C/W, Sweden

Eklund’s season in Sweden’s second pro division has been awfully impressive. He doesn’t look like a teenager while playing among men. He has a good frame and hockey sense. While his skill doesn’t jump out at you, it’s effective and he knows how to score. He’ll likely be a little deeper in Sweden’s lineup, but he’s still on a good trendline to be a top-20 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He could be one of those players that breaks out during the tournament, too.

Logan Hensler, D, USA

Hensler’s role is still seemingly undetermined. He’ll likely be a depth defenseman and could end up as a healthy scratch for Team USA. That said, his being on this roster over a first-round pick like EJ Emery suggests that this staff believes he can contribute. Hensler is a high-end skater with size and good defensive sense. The offensive game is limited some, but he moves pucks well enough and could give USA some quality shifts if and when he’s called upon.

Jack Ivankovic, G, Canada

Rare is it for Canada to bring an underage goalie to the World Juniors, but Ivankovic has won many fans within Hockey Canada. The undersized, but athletic and poised young goaltender has an .898 save percentage in 21 games with the Brampton Steelheads. He had a spectacular Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, posting a .967 save percentage and 0.75 goals-against average in four games for Canada. He appears to be Canada’s No. 2 goalie in the tournament, which would suggest that he’ll get a chance to play.

Luka Radivojevich, D, Slovakia

The son of former NHL player Branko Radivojevich, Luka made the jump to North America earlier this season and plays for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He has 10 assists in 19 games for Muskegon. Despite his youth, this will be his second World Junior Championship after making Slovakia and appearing in five games last year for Slovakia. 

Tomas Pobezal, C, Slovakia

Currently playing in Slovakia’s pro league with HK Nitra, Pobezal has 12 goals and is averaging 0.65 points per game. Those are really strong numbers for a player of his age in a tough league for teenagers. His 12 goals already ranks sixth all time among U19 players in the Slovakian pro ranks and is the highest we’ve seen in 17 years. Slovakia has a chance to make some noise in the tournament if everything goes right. Their chances improve if Pobezal makes an impact.

Other notable 2025 NHL Draft Eligibles

David Lewandowski, LW, Germany

Vojtěch Čihař, LW, Czechia

Jan Chovan, C, Czechia

Michal Pradal, G, Slovakia

2025 World Juniors Hockey Championship Schedule

Dec. 26

• Sweden vs. Slovakia, TD Place, 12 p.m. ET
• Germany vs. United States, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Switzerland vs. Czechia, TD Place, 5 p.m. ET
• Canada vs. Finland, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 27

• Slovakia vs. Switzerland, TD Place, 1 p.m. ET
• Finland vs. Germany, Canadian Tire Centre, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Kazakhstan vs. Sweden, TD Place, 5 p.m. ET
• Canada vs. Latvia, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 28

• Czechia vs. Kazakhstan, TD Place, 1 p.m. ET
• United States vs. Latvia, Canadian Tire Centre, 3:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 29

• Sweden vs. Switzerland, TD Place, 12 p.m. ET
• Finland vs. United States, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Slovakia vs. Czechia, TD Place, 5 p.m. ET
• Germany vs. Canada, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 30

• Kazakhstan vs. Slovakia, TD Place, 1 p.m. ET
• Latvia vs. Germany, Canadian Tire Centre, 3:30 p.m. ET

Dec. 31

• Switzerland vs. Kazakhstan, TD Place, 12 p.m. ET
• Latvia vs. Finland, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Czechia vs. Sweden, TD Place, 5 p.m. ET
• United States vs. Canada, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m. ET

Jan. 2

• Quarterfinal 1, TD Place, 12 p.m. ET
• Quarterfinal 2, Canadian Tire Centre, 2:30 p.m. ET
• Quarterfinal 3, TD Place, 5 p.m. ET
• Quarterfinal 4, Canadian Tire Centre, 7:30 p.m. ET

Jan. 4 (Canadian Tire Centre)

• Semifinal 1, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Semifinal 2, 7:30 p.m. ET

Jan. 5 (Canadian Tire Centre)

• Third-place game, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Championship game, 7:30 p.m. ET

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