Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
World Juniors Special 2024
Get everything you need to know about the 2024 World Junior Championship with our annual preview edition! Inside, you'll find scouting reports for each country and features on key players to watch. Also in the issue: stories on Pettersson, Rantanen, Hintz, Byfield, Bratt, Necas, Karlsson, Zuccarello, Spooner, Flanagan and more, plus an early look at the 2024 free-agent class.
SCOUTING REPORT
THERE’S A CHANCE YOUR team will beat Finland at the WJC, but it will never be easy. A hardworking team as always, the Finns have some big boys to get through, not to mention high-end skill led by Nashville Predators 2022 first-rounder Joakim Kemell, who is now in his first full season with AHL Milwaukee. But it all starts in net for Finland. Seattle Kraken pick Niklas Kokko is the obvious starting candidate after watching as the third-stringer last year. Kokko has NHL size at 6-foot-3 and has been fantastic in Finland’s Liiga this season for Karpat. If he needs a respite, fellow Seattle pick Visa Vedenpaa is an option. The defense corps promises to bring size as well, with Kasper Kulonummi (NSH) and Emil Pieniniemi (PIT) two players to watch. Unfortunately,…
WORLD JUNIORS PREVIEW 2024
WHEN THE GAMES begin Dec. 26 in Gothenburg, a lot of players at the WJC will have the gold medal in mind – more than usual, in all likelihood. While the U.S. has the best team on paper, the Americans cannot simply waltz their way to gold since stiff competition abounds. And while there has long been a ruling class at the world juniors, the pool of teams who could realistically win it all seems larger than ever. Canada’s depth is always an advantage, and even in years when the Canadians haven’t necessarily looked like a juggernaut, the style of play that Hockey Canada has perfected at international competitions in recent years is pretty hard to beat. Having said that, the host Swedes have a lot to prove, and being on home…
MEET THE UNDERDOG
THOUGH THE Norwegians are the new kids on the block, they’re also bringing one of the most intriguing players to Gothenburg. Right winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is projected to be a first-rounder in the 2024 draft, and, if he hits, would be the most significant NHLer from Norway since Mats Zuccarello. Brandsegg-Nygard is now in his second season in Sweden, where he ripped up the junior circuit early this year before jumping up to Mora’s Allsvenskan squad in Sweden’s second-best pro circuit. He plays with pace and brings a great motor alongside his offensive skills. He was also part of the Norwegian squad that won promotion last year, and most of that team is still eligible to play this season against the big boys. That familiarity will go a long way, as sometimes,…
SCOUTING REPORT
IN AN ALTERNATE universe, Slovakia beats Canada in overtime of the 2023 quarterfinal and goes on a mad march to a medal. Connor Bedard killed that chance in reality, but Slovakia returns with a formidable squad for 2024. In fact, the team could have up to 16 returnees. The most crucial is D-man Simon Nemec, the New Jersey Devils lottery pick who has been developing in the AHL with Utica. Thanks to the skill he brings to the blueline, he’d be one of the best players in the entire tournament (assuming the Devils don’t call him up first). Up front, Slovakia brings back impressive weapons such as Dalibor Dvorsky (STL), Filip Mesar (MTL) and Servac Petrovsky (MIN). Samuel Honzek, the Calgary Flames first-rounder, missed most of last year’s tourney due to injury…
Made possible with the support of
