The World U18 Championship has come and gone with Sweden taking home the gold medal over Slovakia 4-2. It truly was a tournament to remember as it was an eventful and even chaotic from start to finish with a number of upsets.
Amidst all the chaos in the tournament, it also serves as one of the final showcases for 2026 draft-eligible players to improve their draft stock. There were plenty of players that really stood out and made their case, even those that are up for future drafts. However, we’ll just focus on this current draft class for now. Here are the top performers from the tournament as players had the final chance to impress the scouts.
Mathis Preston was probably Canada’s most impressive and consistent forward as he had six points in five games. He was constantly buzzing and creating with his speed and high pace that he is known for. He was forcing turnovers and stealing pucks, winning battles with his positioning and speed and was in control in the offensive zone. This is exactly the same kind of play that we saw at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and his hot start in the Western Hockey League before he cooled off and dealt with an injury. This was the performance and consistency many wanted to see all season and he has certainly kept his name in the running as a first-round selection.
Adam Valentini was always a second rounder for me all season and he cemented that status. Valentini was always playing with a high amount of pace and energy. He was one of Canada’s go-to producers offensively with three goals and five points. He was a quick, highly competitive and a skilled playmaker for Canada. His speed allowed him to challenge defenders and push them back to create more space for himself. He got by everyone easily with his hands and puck control. He’s small but he played a much bigger game, both in skill and in battling in the tough areas. He served as both a shooter and setup man and was setting the tone every shift.
The leading point getter amongst defensemen with six, Ryan Lin was exceptional on the backend. While all eyes may have been on Keaton Verhoeff, Lin showed why he should still be one of the top defenders in this draft. His vision, playmaking and distribution and offensive awareness was on another level. He was confident, poised and a facilitator from the backend. He showed some physicality but also the attention to detail without the puck. His smarts and IQ was evident and despite being on the small side (5-foot-11, 176), he showed that he should be taken early in the draft.
Jakub Vanecek was a top pairing defender for Czechia, being their go-to defender, logging big minutes (22:39 per game) and playing in all situations. He really showed his poise and composure on the breakout and patience within the offensive zone when setting up plays. He was a constant shooting presence, getting pucks on net effectively and led all defenders in the tournament with three goals. He was responsible defensively and is always active on both sides of the puck, showing a strong work ethic and motor to make an impact play.
A steady riser for me all season, I really liked Samu Alalarui’s sound, two-way game. He finished third in team scoring with four points and was one of the top producing defensemen in the tournament that had a lot of top names. His game is based on playing a strong shut down game and it was evident, taking time and space away from attackers and being strong in one-on-one coverage. He pushed the play offensively too, breaking out effectively and being a key playmaker from the backend.
A big reason why Latvia made it into contention for a medal, including a major upset over Team USA, Patricks Plumins was no doubt the best goaltender in the tournament. He faced the second most shots (150) and only gave up eight goals, posting the second best save percentage with a .947. Plumins tracked the puck really well through traffic, showed great athleticism in the crease and was aggressive in challenging shooters. He’s ranked 18th among European goaltenders, though he may have improved his rank as a result of his play.
Slovakia went on the run that they did in solidifying a silver medal was thanks to a lot of players, including their captain Adam Goljer on the backend. For the most part, he was composed and confident in distributing the puck and being a factor offensively, posting five points in seven games. He was sound positionally and defended rushes very well and not giving up the middle of the ice easily to puck carriers. There were some moments where the miscues were noticeable, but Goljer made an impact and led his team to their best finish at the tournament.
Elton Hermansson was easily Sweden’s best player and forward overall in the tournament. He tied the tournament lead in scoring with 12 points and took over any chance he could get with his playmaking and goal scoring. Hermansson’s dynamic offensive game and skillset showed every time he stepped on the ice, being creative and making the most difficult plays look easy. Including this assist that helped push Sweden to the gold medal game. He was creating great opportunities and distributed the puck extremely well. He really made his mark as a forward that can be taken in top-16.
I have been a big fan of Alexander Commnand for a while now and his competitive style and goal scoring abilities were evident in this tournament. He was extremely smart in finding the shooting lanes and sneaking in close quarters for quality scoring chances and finding the back of the net. He finished seventh in tournament scoring and was the third leading scorer for Sweden behind only Hermansson and 2027 draft-eligible Bosse Meijer. He was smart, pressured opponents well and showed great instincts and habits with and without the puck while attacking defenders with purpose and speed.
While all the attention would be on defenders like Malte Gustafsson and Axel Elofsson, I came away impressed with Ola Palme on Sweden’s backend. He had a goal and an assist to help secure a gold medal for Sweden and five points in seven games. He’s a smart and smooth skater with great mobility as a two-way defender, showing great composure on both sides of the puck. He was effective on breakouts and in transition and did a great job to find the shooting lanes in the offensive zone. Even when Sweden lost 9-1 against Team USA, I thought he was one of their better defenders.
Wyatt Cullen was an absolute force to the Americans. He was a quick riser as he was 13th on Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters and he showed why. Leading the way with nine points in five games for USA, Cullen was the offensive catalyst with the combination of his playmaking and goal scoring abilities. He was quick off the rush, attacked the net well, competed in the offensive zone and was at the forefront creating dangerous scoring chances. He was just as noticeable defensively, breaking up plays and being responsible within his own end.
Keaton Verhoeff, RD, CanadaTynan Lawrence, C, CanadaBeckett Hamilton, C, CanadaOlivers Murnieks, LatviaLucian Bernat, W, SlovakiaDayne Beuker, C, USA
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