It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s right, it’s World Junior Championships time. A yearly holiday treat for hockey fans, we all get to be irrationally patriotic over a bunch of 19-year-old hockey players and we wouldn’t have it any other way. For a team like the Chicago Blackhawks, there’s always good reason to keep an eye on the future. With two prospects in this year’s tournament, plus at least five 2025 NHL Draft Class standouts participating, Blackhawks brass and fans alike will be tuned into this year’s event in Ottawa.

Here’s a quick rundown of who to watch at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships, running December 26 to January 5.

Oliver Moore
(C – USA)

One of four Blackhawks prospects to help Team USA win the Gold Medal at least year’s World Junior Championships in Sweden, Oliver Moore returns looking to help the U.S. do something that they have never done before: repeat. The 2023 first-round pick will be playing down the middle for Team USA, likely beginning the tournament on the third line. But don’t take lines and pairings on Day One as gospel as Moore was the extra forward for the U.S. last year to begin the competition but finished playing on the top-line.

Jiři Felcman
(C – Czechia)

Playing for Czechia for the second time on the World Juniors stage after skating in five games at the U18 World Junior Championships, Jiři Felcman has a chance to showcase his skills to Blackhawks fans that otherwise haven’t been able to see much of him playing overseas. Felcman has been playing professionally in Switzerland this season in the top league and has seven assists in 26 games after being a near point-per-game player in the Swiss U20 Division last season. Two years ago, Czechia ended as runners-up against Canada and has won the World Junior Championships Gold Medal twice in the country’s history in 2000 and 2001.

James Hagens
(C – USA)

James Hagens started the year as the favorite to go No. 1 at the 2025 NHL Draft in June. Many have started to entertain the idea of Matthew Schaefer, Porter Martone, or Michael Misa taking over that spot, but Hagens’ real potential cannot be ignored. An impressive showing at this year’s World Junior Championships in Ottawa could have him unquestionably back on top of the mountain.

Hagens is a projectable top-six center in the NHL who will be a significant piece of the U.S. offensive plans. He projects to center Team USA’s top line between his Boston College linemates Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard – both of whom helped the Americans capture gold in 2024.

Porter Martone
(F – Canada)

At six-foot-three and over 200-pounds, Martone has the size all NHL teams covet and a skillset that has the potential to drive a line in the NHL. He’s close to NHL-ready and a dominant showing at the World Junior Championships could set himself up with a solid case for No. 1 pick consideration.

This will be Martone’s first world juniors appearance after leading Canada to a Gold Medal as captain at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championship. He finished second on the team with 17 points in seven games at that tournament.

Matthew Schaefer
(D – Canada)

Widely considered the best defenseman in the 2025 NHL Draft Class, Matthew Schaefer is putting together a stellar draft year that has him in the discussion as a potential No. 1 overall talent. Schaefer is chasing his fourth gold medal in his fourth international appearance with Canada. He won gold at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in 2023 as well as the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championship and Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

He was the best player at the CHL vs. USA Prospects Showdown earlier this month and is producing at a rate that would have him in the top-three of defensemen in the OHL, had he not started the season late due to illness. Schaefer is arguably the best skater in the draft, equal parts explosive and agile. Combine that with a six-foot-two frame and good instincts offensively and defensively, it’s easy to get why a team like the Blackhawks might have a tough time passing on Schaefer at No. 1.

Logan Hensler
(D – USA)

A standout at the University of Wisconsin, Logan Hensler has an opportunity to solidify himself as one of the top two or three defensemen in the 2025 NHL Draft Class with an inspired effort in this tournament. With a loaded U.S. roster looking to repeat, if Hensler is more than an “also ran” in a deep run with Team USA, he can make the case to continue to jump up in the rankings.

As a right-shot, six-foot-two, 196-pound defender with good mobility, Hensler’s skillset is enough to have him squarely in the discussion as a lottery pick inside the top-15 off the 2025 NHL Draft Class. He has top-four potential in his NHL future, especially if he continues to physically mature. He’s not the most offensively dynamic defenseman, but his length and skating make him a reliable defender.

Victor Eklund
(F – Sweden)

Victor Eklund is indeed the younger brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund and will be doing something his older brother never did: represent Sweden at a World Junior Championship. One of the best European skaters in the 2025 NHL Draft Class, Eklund’s a creative playmaker who has excellent footspeed.

Eklund is the lone first-year eligible draft prospect on this Swedish team and has an outstanding shot, high-compete levels, and sees the ice at an elite level. He currently projects in the middle of the first round and with two selections in the opening round of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks could have a shot at getting Eklund with their second of two first-round picks.