A historic IIHF World U18’s just wrapped up in Slovakia, with Sweden capturing the gold. It was a tournament of firsts. For the first time since they started competing in the event, both Canada and the United States failed to make the semi finals. We saw the Czechs and Slovaks medal in the same tournament for the first time. Latvia competed for a medal for the first time on the back of top goaltender Patriks Plumins, who helped them upset the Americans in the quarters.
As is always the case, this tournament was the final opportunity for many draft eligible players to impress (on the ice) NHL scouts and executives ahead of the Entry Draft in June. So which players helped their cause and which players hurt their cause? Director of Scouting Brock Otten and Associate Director of Scouting Derek Neumeier weigh in.
STOCK UP
Wyatt Cullen - USA
It was far from a perfect tournament for Cullen. He had that bad turnover in overtime against Czechia. His decision making with the puck could best be described as erratic. However, he showed scouts that he could be a driving force offensively and was by far the best player on a U.S. team that was largely disappointing. He’s missed a lot of hockey this year, but this tournament really helped to open some eyes regarding his offensive upside. Given that this draft class doesn’t have a ton of dynamic and creative forwards available, Cullen could end up skyrocketing up lists as a likely lottery selection. - Brock Otten
Malte Gustafsson - Sweden
This is an interesting inclusion because, in our eyes at McKeen’s Hockey, Gustafsson validated our recent inclusion of him in our top ten for 2026. So he’s not really rising, but more holding steady. However, his ranking across other scouting outlets and in the scouting community seems all over the map. After this tournament, it seems likely he’ll be more universally highly ranked. He was outstanding in the quarterfinal win against Canada, playing over 28 minutes. He showed an ability to play in all situations. He’s the real deal. - Brock Otten
Patriks Plumins - Latvia
Needless to say, Plumins won’t be seen as the 18th ranked netminder from Europe (as he was ranked by NHL Central Scouting) after this tournament. The top netminder of the U18’s, Plumins was fantastic for the surprising Latvians, possessing both the size and composure to intrigue NHL scouts. Playing out of the Latvian pro league, a lower tiered European pro league, Plumins had a lot to prove to scouts against better competition and he certainly impressed. - Brock Otten
Wiggo Sorensson - Sweden
Coming into this tournament there was a disproportionate amount of curiosity about Sörensson and how he would fare. He spent most of his 2025-26 season in Sweden’s fourth-highest league, the Hockeytvåan, playing for Boro/Vetlanda HC, which is his hometown club and includes his father as one of the coaches in the organization. Before this year, the idea of drafting someone out of that level was unheard of. But the Swedish national program knew that Sörensson was simply too talented to not be brought to the U18s, and he rewarded them for that decision. A center with explosive skating ability, he got better and better as the tournament went along. He scored goals in both the semifinals and the championship game, and was ultimately voted as a Top 3 Player for Sweden. If there was any doubt before about him being worthy of a selection in the second or third rounds of the 2026 draft, that has surely been erased now. - Derek Neumeier
Adam Goljer - Slovakia
Goljer was Slovakia's captain this year, and it should not go unnoticed just how important he was for his team, how much heavy lifting he did, and how much good work he put in all over the ice to help his nation unexpectedly win silver. He led his squad in ice time. He was a staple on both sides of their special teams, which each finished with the highest percentages in the tournament. He contributed five points throughout their seven games. And he did all of that as a 6-foot-3, right-shot defenseman. It's not difficult at all to envision him eventually becoming an NHL blueliner who plays upwards of 20 minutes per game in a variety of situations. Goljer had already played his way into the 1st round in the latest draft rankings for McKeen's (at 28th overall), and his play over the past two weeks enhanced his chances of moving even higher than that. - Derek Neumeier
Jakub Vanecek - Czechia
There was a time earlier this season with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans when Vanecek was trending towards being a 1st-round pick, but that entire team fell apart badly down the stretch, and his individual play started to suffer as a result. However, getting to play meaningful hockey again at the U18s provided a much-needed spark and he returned to form as a top prospect. He played more minutes than anyone else on the Czech roster, he finished tied for his team’s lead in shots, and he scored a big game-winning goal with less than a minute to go to defeat Sweden during group play. Czechia wouldn’t have won bronze without his contributions on the powerplay and his ability to drive possession at even strength, and that won’t have gone unnoticed to scouts. Vanecek has firmly put himself back into the conversation as one of the top defenders available in this year’s draft. - Derek Neumeier
STOCK DOWN
Marcus Nordmark - Sweden
It was a weird tournament for Nordmark. He struggled to settle into a groove offensively and then struggled with discipline later in the tournament, possibly out of frustration. He was so good at the Hlinka/Gretzky to start the year and he had a good year in Sweden too, but his performance at the U18’s left a lot to be desired. The off puck engagement wasn’t always consistent. The decision making with the puck was inconsistent. He didn’t show a ton of layers to his game as an offensive play driver. Quite frankly, there were many others on Sweden who shone brighter. - Brock Otten
Vilho Vanhatalo - Finland
It was a year of ups and downs for Vanhatalo. The big winger can really rip the puck, but consistency is a major issue. He had a chance to be an offensive leader and catalyst for Finland, but instead, it was the team’s underagers who took the bull by the horns. Vanhatalo was invisible much of the tournament. He’s still an intriguing draft prospect because goal scorers with his size don’t grow on trees, but this tournament helped reinforce the notion that his game needs a ton of work before he could be considered a significant NHL prospect. He’ll be hard pressed to crack our year end Top 100 after being inside of it all year. - Brock Otten
Juho Piiparinen - Finland
Piiparinen’s stock was already trending downwards over the past couple of months, especially after a lackluster showing in the playoffs in Finland’s top junior league, and his performance at the U18s didn’t do him any favors. Despite being the Finnish captain and one of their go-to players he failed to make much of a positive difference for his team at any point. He didn’t register a single point through five games, he was on the ice for five of the goals allowed in the 7-0 rout at the hands of Canada, and he took a penalty in the final 10 minutes of the quarterfinal loss against Czechia when his team was trailing by a goal. Piiparinen still possesses the same appealing blend of size and reach and fluid skating ability that put him on the map in the first place, but now there are legitimate worries about his ability to actually utilize those traits in beneficial ways. - Derek Neumeier
Brady Knowling - USA
The 2025-26 season was an undeniable down year for USA Hockey's storied National Team Development Program, and it ended in shocking fashion at the U18s, following a 5-2 defeat in the quarterfinals against Latvia. While there is plenty of blame to go around the American roster when analyzing what went wrong, the first place to look should probably be between the pipes. Knowling was given the job of being the team’s number one goalie, and the results were concerning. It started in the U.S. overtime loss against Czechia during group play, when the game-winning goal slid softly through his 5-hole. Things got even worse in the Latvian loss, allowing three goals on just 14 shots, all of them stoppable. Knowling finished ranked as the top North American goalie by NHL Central Scouting, but it now seems unlikely that this will be the actual outcome in the draft. - Derek Neumeier