Well, another IIHF U18’s is in the books, and it was a historic tournament for Canada, who captured back-to-back gold medals for the first time in the history of the event. In the gold medal final, the Canadians routed Sweden, capping off a terrific and dominating tournament performance. In the bronze medal game, the United States defeated Slovakia in overtime, sending Slovakia home empty handed for the third straight year; the Slovaks have lost three straight bronze games.
As is the case every U18’s, there were some outstanding performances that helped to raise the draft stock of said individuals. How much stock do you put in a single tournament from a scouting perspective? It’s really circumstantial. For some players, a strong performance can flaunt the in-season adjustments that a player has made, helping them execute at a high level versus their similarly aged peers. For others, a disappointing performance can be attributed to fatigue, poor usage, or…simply poor play.
In part one of our post tournament coverage, Scouting Director Brock Otten and Associate Scouting Director Derek Neumeier have chosen to focus their attention on the players who stood out in a positive way. These are their tournament favourites.
Brock Otten’s Favourites
Brady Martin - Center/Wing - Canada
How could you not be impressed with Martin in this tournament? He was the straw that stirred the drink for Canada almost every game. We saw that in the semifinal too, when he was ejected for a late hit. The offense just lacked spark without him. I’ve been a huge Martin fan all year long and his performance at this tournament felt validating. His skating has come a long way from a year ago and when you combine that with his motor, I no longer have any concerns about his game translating. His pace of play is just fine. Additionally, I feel like his skill and offensive upside is massively underrated. I remember having the same arguments with people about Mike Richards so many years ago; sometimes these well-rounded, intense junior competitors get underrated. What was most interesting to me was how well Martin responded to a move to the wing. I actually really liked him there and could see him on the wing at the next level too. It would help simplify things for him. His puck management and decision making were so much better at the U18’s then they have been in the OHL this year. He finishes this tournament as a top ten candidate for me.
Jack Ivankovic - Goaltender - Canada
It wasn’t an easy year for Ivankovic. His stats for Brampton weren’t terrific, especially for a smaller netminder. I came away disappointed in several of his live viewings this year. However, you can’t argue with the way that he’s performed for Canada internationally. He was dominant at the Hlinka/Gretzky and he was dominant at the U18’s. He has all the tools to be an NHL netminder and where he gets selected this year will be fascinating. One thing worth mentioning that is not discussed enough; Ivankovic is a terrific puckhandler. He was so good at making plays to help clear the zone or set up the breakout and his confidence with the puck is refreshing in a time where it’s a bit of a lost art for netminders. We do see him confidently handle the puck and make plays at the OHL level, but not at the level that we saw in these U18’s. I hope we see more of it in the future.
Cole Reschny - Center - Canada
One of the hottest players in the CHL coming into this tournament, Reschny lived up to the hype after joining Canada later in the round robin. He’s not really a high pace guy, which considering his lack of size is going to be cause for concern for NHL scouts. But you can’t argue with his consistent high level of performance. He’s such an intelligent, detail-oriented player. Equal parts playmaker and finisher, he finds a way to settle into soft spots playing through the middle. I’m not sure I can remember him making a poor play or read all tournament long. Really, the only thing separating Reschny from a guy like Jake O’Brien is a few inches in height.
Filip Ekberg - Wing - Sweden
The tournament’s top forward, Ekberg deserved that honor with a record setting tournament, as he became Sweden’s top scorer at the event. It wasn’t an easy year for him in the OHL with Ottawa. He never seemed to settle in, even if his offensive production improved late in the year. Is this the Dave Cameron effect? Quite frankly, I think Ekberg saved his draft stock with this performance. He’s put himself back in Top 100 consideration, when without this tournament, he might have been a potential no-draft. His size/skating combination is still a bit concerning, but he was tenacious and determined to get to the middle in this tournament. He showed off more individual skill and creativity than we’ve seen from him previously too.
Sascha Boumedienne - Defense - Sweden
The tournament’s top defender, Boumedienne earned that award with his strong play for Sweden. Boumedienne really impressed me late in the season with Boston University and it’s clear that he was riding a confidence high entering the tournament. He’s a strong skater. He moves the puck well. He even shows promise in the defensive end, having increased his physical intensity over the course of the season. He just needs to cut down on the turnovers in the defensive end; puck management is going to be an area of focus for him. However, I like the season long progression capped off by a strong U18 performance and he’s someone who should push for the Top 20 in Los Angeles.
William Moore - Center - USA
I’ll fully admit that I haven't been a Moore fan this season. I’ve come away disappointed in nearly every viewing of the NTDP. However, there’s no denying that Moore was largely good in this tournament for the U.S. Getting Horcoff and Potter back really helped to bring out the best in Moore’s playmaking ability. His pace of play is still not outstanding considering he is a strong skater, but he did a really good job of managing and protecting the puck. Whenever the U.S. needed a big play, it seemed like he was at the center of it, setting it up from the wall; getting pucks into the slot. He also stood out defensively and at the faceoff circle, even if I wished his physical intensity was greater. Some of the members of our team have been advocating for him to receive a first round grade all season long, perhaps I’ll be more receptive to that.
Derek Neumeier’s Favourites
Braeden Cootes - Center - Canada
Canada played some incredibly smart, tenacious, two-way hockey this tournament en route to a perfect record and a decisive gold medal victory, and no prospect exemplified all of those attributes better than Cootes did. Not only did the canuck captain lead the team in scoring with 12 points, but he was also one of their hardest workers and their most defensively responsible forward. He set an example that his teammates followed. Not only does Cootes get to leave Texas with another addition to his trophy case, he also left a great impression upon scouts, who were curious to see how he would play alongside players of a similar skill level, in contrast to his long and hard season in the WHL where he had to do a lot of heavy lifting on a rebuilding team without much support around him.
LJ Mooney - Wing - USA
This was a difficult season for Mooney, as he missed a chunk of games due to injury and then didn’t quite look like himself for a while after he came back, so he was surely motivated to have a strong U18s and leave a positive final impression on NHL scouts. And boy, did he ever deliver. He was a serious spark plug for the Americans, bringing a ton of offensive pop when the puck hit his stick on the offensive zone, spinning off checks to drive possession and make high-danger passes. There’s a dynamic “it” factor to his game when he really gets going. Teams will still have concerns about his size and durability (especially since he got hurt again late in this tournament), but he probably did enough to ensure that he gets picked at some point in the draft.
Blake Fiddler - Defense - USA
A dual citizen of the United States and Canada, Fiddler made the definitive choice to represent America prior to this event, which gave him the chance to log more minutes on a comparatively weaker blueline (although it must sting a bit for him that Canada won gold while he had to settle for bronze). He really made the most of that extra ice time and larger role, doing a lot of great work in all three zones and standing out as one of the best defenders in the entire tournament. The right-shot shutdown specialist was a fringe 1st-rounder coming into the U18s but likely did enough here to solidify a high ranking on a lot of NHL draft lists.
Cullen Potter - Wing/Center - USA
His good-but-not-great point totals might not suggest it, but Potter was one of the most dangerous offensive players at this year’s U18s, from the first day all the way to the last. He’s one of the fastest players available for the 2025 NHL draft, and he was eager to show that speed off down in Texas, using it to frequently open up ice and generate chances for himself and his linemates. He’s far from a one-trick pony, however, as he thinks the game extremely well and is laser-focused when reading the play as it unfolds around him. After competing against much older competition all season in the NCAA it was great to see just how well Potter measured up against players his own age, and he passed that test with flying colors.
Radim Mrtka - Defense - Czechia
Mrtka became incredibly familiar with being a workhorse, minute-munching defenseman for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds this season, so he only needed to make minimal adjustments when he was asked to play the exact same role for Czechia in this tournament. There was no disputing who their go-to, all-situations blueliner was going to be, and he delivered the exact kind of performance that they needed him to. The Czechs didn’t advance to the final four, but Mrtka sure did his part in the semifinals against Canada, registering an assist and nearly scoring the game-winning goal with an overtime breakaway.
Michal Pradel - Goaltender - Slovakia
Slovakia was an underdog to even make the medal rounds in this tournament, and it probably wouldn’t have happened were it not for the stellar performance of Pradel, their number one goalie. He was a rock between the pipes, posting shutouts over Finland and Latvia, and he almost led his team to a bronze medal with 29 saves, only to be defeated in overtime of that game by the Americans. The hulking netminder is very well-balanced and already plays a style of goaltending that is common in the NHL, so he’ll likely draw a lot of draft interest from clubs. Don’t be surprised if he gets picked early in the second round.