GDT: World Juniors 2024-25

[Ranksu]

But looks like Blues have promising prospect in the pipeline.

USA! USA!

Awesome tournament. Pretty much everything I wanted to see outside of Slovakia making the medal round on the back of Dvorsky. The Blues prospects we VERY impactful for the second WJC in a row.

Tony Feltrin seems to be doing an excellent job. Excited to see some of these kids in the Note in the next couple of seasons.

well if our amateur scouts are this good, we need more leverage to draft team. So we need more draft picks.

 

[Stelmacki]

That was a good game. Shame it ended in a 3 on 3, but Finland just ran out of gas

 

[PocketNines]

After this tournament (edit I'll put it in the prospects thread)

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Keep in mind that drafting Buium probably means trading Lindstein because of Broberg. I don't think having all 3 of those guys on the left side is great asset management.


I'm honestly lukewarm about Ralph. Maybe he turns out to be a nice shutdown defender who can take on tough assignments and play on the PK, but I also think Lukas Fischer is more comfortable transitioning the puck up the ice and has more upside.

I wonder if we'll see Fischer play for Team USA next year

 

[Reality Czech]

Keep in mind that drafting Buium probably means trading Lindstein because of Broberg. I don't think having all 3 of those guys on the left side is great asset management.


I'm honestly lukewarm about Ralph. Maybe he turns out to be a nice shutdown defender who can take on tough assignments and play on the PK, but I also think Lukas Fischer is more comfortable transitioning the puck up the ice and has more upside.

He's still very raw, so hard to project where he'll end up. But he'll need to improve in many areas to reach the NHL.

Buium would have been nice but I'm sure every team drafting around that spot would feel the same way. No chance he was slipping to us.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I wonder if we'll see Fischer play for Team USA next year

Likely so.

 

[HighNote]

How would you guys rank our 9 prospects' by performance in this tournament?

I have a pretty good idea about my top 3, but beyond that it gets kinda tough. I'd go:

1. Dvorsky
2. Stancl
3, Stenberg

It's crazy that Stenberg is 3rd, because he was incredible. You could certainly argue that any of these guys belong at #1.

After that I think the next two guys would be Lindstein and Pekarcik, but I'm not sure who would be 4th and who would be 5th.

Then you probably have Jecho or Jiricek at 6, then Ralph and Kos at 8 and 9? What do you guys think?

 

[STL fan in MN]

Another great WJC in the books. Congrats to the US for back to back Golds. No team had a quintet of Leonard, Perreault, Hagens, Hudson and Buium.

I think Hudson should’ve gotten best d-man but I’d guess the votes were submitted before the medal games so I can see why ASP won. ASP was at least more deserving of that award this year. Its was a complete homer pick for him to win it a year ago. I think ASP is a bit overrated but he was still very good this tourney. Hudson was a smidge better through. He ended up leading the entire tourney in pts and +/-. Doubt too many d-men have ended up being the leading scorer in the WJC.

Fun fact: Dvorsky finished with the highest pts/game at 1.80 with 9 pts in 5 games. Would’ve liked to have seen what he would’ve been able to do with 2 additional games. But Slovakia was very much not one of the top 4 teams so they finished where they deserved.

Main surprise for me was how poorly Canada did. They just couldn’t score! I didn’t like the team they selected and figured they’d leave one of Yakemchuk/Parakh home but was dumbfounded they left off both. But their leading goal scorer was Bradly Nadeau with 2. 11 guys had 1 goal. Carter George ended up leading the entire tourney in both GAA and SV% but they still stunk. All that talent and they couldn’t score.

Probably getting ahead of myself here but I’m excited next year’s WJC is coming here to Minnesota. Group A is going to be a murderer’s row.

Group A:
USA
Sweden
Canada
Switzerland
Germany

Group B:
Finland
Czechia
Slovakia
Latvia
Denmark

 

[Beauterham]

Interestingly enough, it seems that the amount of Czech DNA will influence the chance of playing in the tournament next year. Time for Mrsic and McIsaac to apply for a Czech passport.

Probable (Czechs!): Adam Jiricek, Ondrej Kos, Adam Jecho
Good chance (Czech DNA): Lukas Fischer
Unlikely (Slavic descent = near Czech Republic): Tomas Mrsic
Very Unlikely (Czeched out, fat chance): Will McIsaac

Am I missing anyone?

 

[Reality Czech]

Interestingly enough, it seems that the amount of Czech DNA will influence the chance of playing in the tournament next year. Time for Mrsic and McIsaac to apply for a Czech passport.

Probable (Czechs!): Adam Jiricek, Ondrej Kos, Adam Jecho
Good chance (Czech DNA): Lukas Fischer
Unlikely (Slavic descent = near Czech Republic): Tomas Mrsic
Very Unlikely (Czeched out, fat chance): Will McIsaac

Am I missing anyone?

Pretty sure Mrsic doesn't have Czech connections and I have no idea about McIsaac though I doubt it. I assume Fischer has dual citizenship but seems like he plays for the US program doesn't he? I think the Czech team wouldn't pick a guy who hadn't previously played in the national team but who knows.

These past 3 years have been a nice little boost for Czech hockey fans as they were a bit down on their international performances and future prospects. Pretty impressive to win 3 medals in a row without having truly gamebreaking prospects like the other top teams have. Just hard work and playing a strong team game. Combine that with last year's world championship and the Czechs are feeling pretty good right about now.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Interestingly enough, it seems that the amount of Czech DNA will influence the chance of playing in the tournament next year. Time for Mrsic and McIsaac to apply for a Czech passport.

Probable (Czechs!): Adam Jiricek, Ondrej Kos, Adam Jecho
Good chance (Czech DNA): Lukas Fischer
Unlikely (Slavic descent = near Czech Republic): Tomas Mrsic
Very Unlikely (Czeched out, fat chance): Will McIsaac

Am I missing anyone?

Radim Mrtka and whatever else Czechs we draft this summer…

 

[PocketNines]

Radim Mrtka and whatever else Czechs we draft this summer…

In 12 days I am going to watch Mrtka face Stancl. As you know Mrtka is huge.

How would you guys rank our 9 prospects' by performance in this tournament?

I have a pretty good idea about my top 3, but beyond that it gets kinda tough. I'd go:

1. Dvorsky
2. Stancl
3, Stenberg

It's crazy that Stenberg is 3rd, because he was incredible. You could certainly argue that any of these guys belong at #1.

After that I think the next two guys would be Lindstein and Pekarcik, but I'm not sure who would be 4th and who would be 5th.

Then you probably have Jecho or Jiricek at 6, then Ralph and Kos at 8 and 9? What do you guys think?

1. Stancl pretty easily IMO
2. Stenberg
3. Dvorsky
4. Lindstein
5. Jiricek
6. Jecho
7. Pekarcik
8. Ralph
9. Kos

Jiricek played better every game. In the Bronze medal game he was great. Lindstein was steady eddie all tourney. I thought Jecho was better than Pekarcik, who had most of his points against the Kazakhs. But that's closer to a coin flip at 6/7, same with 2/3. Stenberg was excellent and had a better tourney than Dvorsky despite Dvorsky's production IMO

 

[bleedblue1223]

Would have really liked to see what Dvorsky could have done if Slovakia wasn't as crappy as they were. If Slovakia was on the tier of Czech, Sweden, Finland, USA, Canada, I think he would've been even better. I think have the same or very similar list to P9's. All in all, I think everyone either met my expectations or exceeded them, and maybe just Stancl exceeded them, but he really exceeded them.

With Jiricek, the guy just needs games. Same thing from his draft year, it's clear that he has serious potential and ability, but it's raw because of how few games he's played in the past 2 seasons. Hopefully he stays healthy, gets a bunch of minutes under his belt, and we can see him develop.

 

[PocketNines]

It was overwhelming on multiple shifts yesterday when you'd have Lindstein (LD) racing against Stancl (RW) to feed it up to Stenberg (LW), who was being defended by Jiricek (RD). AHHH I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M ROOTING FOR I would say, and she would laugh. During overtime I was constantly shifting back and forth who I wanted to win depending which players were on the ice. It was truly wild

I may or may not have made a spreadsheet from now through April of the (pacific) times when our top 14 prospects play ...

 

[bleedblue1223]

Pronman:

Jakub Stancl, RW, Czechia (St. Louis)​

Stancl had a big tournament, scoring a lot of important goals and being a major part of Czechia’s offense. His skill level is quite high for a guy his size, and he made a lot of plays. His skating is just OK, and his previous season in Sweden didn’t go that well. He has rebounded very well this year in the CHL and now at the World Juniors. He looks like a player with a legit chance to be a bottom-six forward.

Wheeler: (Ralph and Kos had write-ups, but not much in them)

Adam Jiricek (D, St. Louis Blues): It’s been a long year and a half for Jiricek but he has always played well for the national team. This week was a continuation of that, at least as an 18-year-old who has missed the time that he has (stemming from an injury in last year’s tournament at that). He’s capable of involving himself against his peers and hopefully he uses some good puck touches and plays this week to build some momentum in Brantford with the Bulldogs. He’s a good NHL prospect who has length and has had some really strong stretches over the years.

Jakub Stancl (F, St. Louis Blues): Stancl had a really positive tournament and was one of the better forwards in the event. He scored some big goals and generated a lot. He’s a big, strong player at this level who can hold pucks and push through contact or get open off them. This was the best hockey I’ve seen him play. Hit the post in the bronze medal game, too (in which he also scored his tournament-best seventh goal).

Adam Jecho (F, St. Louis Blues): Despite playing a third-line role and minutes, Jecho found ways to impact play and had a couple of big moments in the tournament. I still wonder about his pace of play for the next level but he’s a big body who knows what he is and gives a consistent effort and that was the same here. He’ll have a good pro career even if I’m not sure he has the offense to be a full-time NHLer (he might become a fourth-liner).

Otto Stenberg (F, St. Louis Blues): I like his cycle game/wall play at this level. Has always been a skill player at this level as well, which combines well with his work ethic. Good release. Comfortable one-timer. Will be more of a third-liner/secondary play driver up levels but has been a go-to guy at this one.

Theo Lindstein (D, St. Louis Blues): Lindstein was asked to play against the opposition’s best a year after a breakout tournament in Gothenburg and he played a lot of minutes and handled it all well but certainly didn’t have the standout tournament he had a year ago. Good stick defensively. PP2. Uncharacteristic turnovers at times. I want to see him be a little harder to play against, which would help his defensive game (which is generally strong for his age). An important player for Sweden in back-to-back years. We saw his usual poise in the bronze medal game.

Dalibor Dvorsky (F, St. Louis Blues): Not much more to write/say about Dvorsky at this level. He’s been a top player in the 2005 age group for a long time. He was a top player even when he played with the 2004s. Led the Slovaks in goals (five) and points (nine) in five games. Led the tournament’s forwards in average ice time (over 23 minutes). Strong puck protector and one-touch shooter. Detailed-oriented two-way center at this level. Stick detail off the puck and in the circle. Great saucer passer. Thought he looked like you’d expect him to look. This Slovak age group is weaker than some of the most recent ones before it as well.

Juraj Pekarcik (F, St. Louis Blues): Huge role and minutes, like Dvorsky. Seven points in five games. Good on-ice results. Size-skating-puck protection combo is noticeable at this level. Above-average skill. Would like to see him play a little harder and use his frame a little more off the puck to win positioning and battles, or get to the inside and score/finish a little more than he does. Some pro attributes, though. Going to be a good top-nine AHLer at minimum. Might play.

 

[PocketNines]

The one knock on Stancl is his skating. But he clearly leveled up there since the previous year hence the constant impact shift after shift after shift after shift after shift after shift. So the Wheeler types are like us, we saw just dominance and enough to be confident he's going to become something. Can he keep improving his skating? He's huge and smart so he maintains good position which helps a ton. He and Dvorsky are somewhat similar on this skating thing.

I see more than a 3d liner in Stenberg, because I think there are inner qualities pushing him up. But it's inchoate so we have to wait til things prove out

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

The one knock on Stancl is his skating. But he clearly leveled up there since the previous year hence the constant impact shift after shift after shift after shift after shift after shift. So the Wheeler types are like us, we saw just dominance and enough to be confident he's going to become something. Can he keep improving his skating? He's huge and smart so he maintains good position which helps a ton. He and Dvorsky are somewhat similar on this skating thing.

I see more than a 3d liner in Stenberg, because I think there are inner qualities pushing him up. But it's inchoate so we have to wait til things prove out

For all we know Stenberg could be the Hull to Thomas’ Oates. If the chemistry is right, he may be one of our first line forwards. Or maybe he never puts it all together and he’s just a bottom-6 pest and PKer. Or maybe he’s been sandbagging all this time and he’s actually the second coming of Zetterberg. There’s a lot of uncertainty in slotting guys in on particular lines multiple years in advance.

FWIW, I also see more of a middle-6 guy with Stenberg, which isn’t a knock. He’s got a lot of admirable attributes, but 70+ points per season probably isn’t one of them. That is unless the situation just really works out for him, which I hope it does. He’s going to be high-value for us either way.

 

[MissouriMook]

For all we know Stenberg could be the Hull to Thomas’ Oates. If the chemistry is right, he may be one of our first line forwards. Or maybe he never puts it all together and he’s just a bottom-6 pest and PKer. Or maybe he’s been sandbagging all this time and he’s actually the second coming of Zetterberg. There’s a lot of uncertainty in slotting guys in on particular lines multiple years in advance.

FWIW, I also see more of a middle-6 guy with Stenberg, which isn’t a knock. He’s got a lot of admirable attributes, but 70+ points per season probably isn’t one of them. That is unless the situation just really works out for him, which I hope it does. He’s going to be high-value for us either way.

I’ve been reluctant to mention it for obvious reasons, but I’ve caught myself seeing a bit of Brad Marchand in him. He’s a few inches taller, but he seems to have a similar stride and drive to get his nose dirty getting to the net. I’m not sure what his offensive ceiling will end up being, but he sure seems like he will be a pain in the ass to play against.

 

[PocketNines]

If I had to make a bet today on which player would be better I would bet on Stenberg over Neighbours. The reason is the speed difference

 

[bleedblue1223]

I could also see Stenberg playing a role on a top line, even if he's not the one driving the bulk of the production. That 3rd piece that does dirty work and is skilled enough to play with the high skilled guys. Similar to Steen when Steen wasn't scoring at his peak, he just has a style and ability that can play up and down the lineup and in a variety of situations.

 

[TheOrganist]

He’s selling Stenberg short on that analysis. He’s like a hybrid Steen/Barbashev. Better skater than Steen and less physical than Barby but a Swiss army type forward that is going to be valuable piece.

 

[Reality Czech]

I’ve been reluctant to mention it for obvious reasons, but I’ve caught myself seeing a bit of Brad Marchand in him. He’s a few inches taller, but he seems to have a similar stride and drive to get his nose dirty getting to the net. I’m not sure what his offensive ceiling will end up being, but he sure seems like he will be a pain in the ass to play against.

Marchand might be aiming a bit high, but that would be nice. For some reason the comp that keeps jumping out to me is Ondrej Palat (perhaps because they look alike). Not a star by any means but a Swiss army knife player that can fit almost anywhere in the lineup. Has some grit, will chip in some offense but doesn't have one quality that stands out. Just a solid, hardworking player that can compliment a scoring or checking line equally well.

 

[LogosBlue]

I could also see Stenberg playing a role on a top line, even if he's not the one driving the bulk of the production. That 3rd piece that does dirty work and is skilled enough to play with the high skilled guys. Similar to Steen when Steen wasn't scoring at his peak, he just has a style and ability that can play up and down the lineup and in a variety of situations.

Michal Handzus? I'd be good with that

 

[PocketNines]

I could also see Stenberg playing a role on a top line, even if he's not the one driving the bulk of the production. That 3rd piece that does dirty work and is skilled enough to play with the high skilled guys. Similar to Steen when Steen wasn't scoring at his peak, he just has a style and ability that can play up and down the lineup and in a variety of situations.

Steen is such a great comp for him, Steen's versatility and ability to plug himself into what he needed to do to help the team win was a signature attribute and it's good that this is embedded in the new GM. Really, really good.

BTW Lindstein and Stenberg play each other on Saturday morning 9:15AM pacific time Jan 11.

 

[PocketNines]

Michal Handzus? I'd be good with that

Handzus and Stancl are similar but Stenberg is very fast, faster than Steen and definitely faster than Handzus