It’s almost time for the puck to drop for the 2023 World Junior Championship, which returns on Boxing Day in Halifax and Moncton.
In his latest for British Ice Hockey, Luke James identifies three players who will play an important role in the latest iteration of the competition. Whether it’s their scoring touch, defensive abilities, or leadership credentials, these prospects have must-watch potential as the tournament unfolds later this month.
2023 World Junior Championship, Players to Watch:
Shane Wright, Team Canada:
If not for the pandemic, there is a very high chance that Shane Wright would have been selected first overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Instead, he missed important chunks of his junior career and saw his stock dip sharply on draft day as a result.
2023 World Junior Championship: Shane Wright, Kingston Frontenacs (Image: OHL)
If the final weeks of his junior career were chaotic, the first weeks of Wright’s life as a professional have been bizarre. Since he was selected fourth overall, he has drifted in and out of favour with the Seattle Kraken and was even sent for a conditioning stint in the American League.
Wright should dominate at the 2023 World Junior Championship, though. While he has never played at the tournament before, he boasts an intelligent play style that will leave many of his opponents bamboozled.
Joshua Roy and Shane Wright feeling it at 🇨🇦 practice pic.twitter.com/CHulGEVLrF
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 16, 2022
“To have an opportunity to go and compete for a gold medal for Team Canada is a pretty special opportunity for a young man,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said Thursday [15 December]. “So, on a lot of different levels, this will be a great opportunity just in terms of experience for him.”
Wright will play in all situations for Team Canada, which should provide the 18-year-old centre with a much-needed confidence boost. It’s his time to shine.
2023 World Junior Championship, Connor Bedard, Team Canada:
Connor Bedard is the best prospect hockey has seen since Connor McDavid. Period.
“It seems like as soon as he’s on the rush, even if it’s starting in his own end, but certainly once he gains the blue line on the attack, he’s a threat to score,” the senior manager of NHL Central Scouting, David Gregory, said of 17-year-old Bedard. “He has absolute elite puck handling and shooting skills, but you combine that with his hockey IQ and how he thinks it, he’s just so hard to stop and contain.”
Bedard had eight points (four goals, four assists) at the 2022 World Juniors, when he became only the eighth 16-year-old to represent Team Canada at the tournament, and returns with a spring in his step.
Connor Bedard's first 10 games in the WHL this season:
-9 goals
-10 assists
-140 shot attempts
-70 shots on goalYeah, this kid's going to be something special. 🤭 #NHLDraft
(🎥: @MitchLBrown) pic.twitter.com/GC9OLET6AQ
— NHL (@NHL) October 16, 2022
The North Vancouver-born centreman has produced 64 points (27 goals, 37 assists) in 28 appearances for the Regina Pats this term – an absurd achievement on a struggling team
Bedard possesses a wicked shot release, instinctively knows where to position himself in the offensive zone, and is almost completely unfazed by the extreme defensive coverage faces. If the puck bounces in his favour, the 5-foot-10 forward could break single-tournament records at the 2023 World Junior Championship: he’s that good.
If he continues on his current trajectory, this will be Bedard’s final World Juniors. Don’t miss it.
Leo Carlsson, Team Sweden
Leo Carlsson, like Bedard, is a top prospect for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Still only 17, the Karlstad-born forward is on course for a historic pre-draft season in the Swedish Hockey League with Örebro HK.
Carlsson, who made his professional debut in his age-16 season, already has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 25 appearances this term and is expected to carry a heavy load for Team Sweden at the 2023 World Junior Championship.
2023 World Junior Championship: Leo Carlsson, Örebro BK (Image: SHL)
Comfortable in any offensive role, the left-shooter has a remarkable skill set. Carlsson is 6-foot-3, boasts impressive two-way intelligence, and isn’t afraid of driving to the net.
“Carlsson is a well-rounded forward with a projectable frame,” wrote Eetu Siltanen of Dobber Prospects. “He has excellent puck skills and the ability to beat players with his hands – even in the SHL, where he already established himself as a regular player in his draft-1 season.”
Team Sweden’s title prospects at the 2023 World Junior Championship rest on Carlsson’s shoulders. It’s time to see if he can carry his form into the international arena.
Who are you excited to watch at the 2023 World Junior Championship? Tweet @BritIceHockey.
