The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships have come and gone, and it was an exciting one if you paid a whole lot of attention to Philadelphia Flyers prospects.
From tapping some rear ends, to scoring a whole lot of goals, it seemed like something was always happening for at least one of this team’s prospects in the tournament. And we’re here to look at each individual player’s performance and put a good ol’ fashioned letter grade to it.
Porter Martone, Canada
Six goals, nine points in seven games; led the entire tournament in goals scored
The most high-profile prospect of the bunch, the Flyers’ sixth-overall selection at the most recent NHL Draft came into the tournament with a whole lot of hype behind him. Martone was instantly put on Canada’s top line and was never removed; even as the tournament went a little sideways for them with them needing to quickly pull out a win for the opener against Czechia (a little foreshadowing) and needing overtime to put down Latvia, Martone remained as one of the first names on the lineup sheet.
As the tournament progressed, Martone appeared to get more and more comfortable doing his game. He started it out with a bang, with a little love tap to stir up some controversy and then went on to score a whole lot of goals. With six in just seven games, he alone led the entire tournament in goals scored — just showcasing how dominant of a player he has grown to be in the few months since he has last played at the junior level.
PAREKH. IGINLA. MARTONE.
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 5, 2026
Canada leads 4-2.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/nSdwp9N5Y9
Martone’s tournament wasn’t perfect, though. He seemed overmatched physically at times and gave way to his linemates in Tij Iginla and Michael Misa often enough that it was noticeable. But those are things that will certainly be dealt with as he grows into an eventual top-end NHLer. Overall, his tournament could be considered a success individually, but maybe a little below team-wide expectations.
Grade: A-
Jett Luchanko, Canada
One assist in seven games played; was in deep depth role on Canada
It would have taken a whole lot to go Luchanko’s way if he were to escape Canada’s bottom six. With both Michael Misa and Michael Hage well above him in the depth chart before the tournament, and even more centers like Cole Beaudoin and Sam O’Reilly being preferred options down the middle for the coaching staff, Luchanko started on the wing.
Maybe it was not playing his natural position, or being a little too cautious and playing too safe in fear that he’ll get thrown out of the lineup after one mistake, but Luchanko never really popped off consistently. There were times where you could see the speed through the neutral zone and the playmaking in the offensive end come alive, but he quickly ran back into the shadows.
His one point prevented him from being the only Canadian that played in every game to finish without one, so we guess that’s good. But, while plus/minus in such a short tournament is not something to look too deep into, Luchanko finished at the very bottom of the team with a minus-4 rating, and the only other player that had a minus was Cole Reschny with minus-2.
Not an outstanding set of games for Luchanko and hopefully we collectively don’t put a whole lot of weight into those seven games where he barely played and not at center.
Grade: D+
Jack Berglund, Sweden
Three goals and 10 points in seven games; tied for team lead in scoring and captained to the gold medal
If there is one Flyers prospects that we walk away from this tournament with so much more excitement for and think he could be a real difference-maker, it’s Sweden captain Jack Berglund. Not only did he lead his team to eventually become champions of this whole thing for the first time since 2012, but he also did it while co-leading the team in scoring with potential top 2026 Draft pick, Ivar Stenberg.
Berglund was never really seen as a top-end player since the Flyers drafted him in 2024, but he has made us all look extremely foolish with the tournament he put on. He was using his body extremely well, and while he’s not the swiftest player on the ice in sharp angles, he used his hands and eyes and brain well enough to overcome any incoming defenders. And he even showed some massive improvements in his straight-ahead speed, too. It was just such a good showing from Berglund.
SWEDEN STRIKES FIRST 🇸🇪
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 6, 2026
Casper Juustovaara scores short-handed to make it a 1-0 game!#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/3q0VWu6IN8
If anyone in the entire tournament used it as a jumping off point to even get noticed by fans of other teams, it was Berglund. We’ll see how this carries him into the rest of his season, as he returns to the SHL (where he is barely getting any minutes as a 19 year old) or continues to dominate the junior level in every way possible.
Grade: A
Heikki Ruohonen, Finland
Three goals and nine points in seven games; broke out as a real deal prospect
Okay, while we just said that Berglund was really the benefactor of having a good tournament, Finland’s Heikki Ruohonen is up there too. A fourth-round pick is never really thought of more than a lottery ticket at possibly getting an NHL player out of it, but Ruohonen proved that there could be more than being Just A Guy in his future.
He was firmly in Finland’s top six and as the tournament went on, looked so much more comfortable taking charge offensively. A three-point performance in the dominant 8-0 win over Latvia kickstarted Ruohonen — a point in the tightly contested overtime loss to Czechia, a goal against the United States, another assist against archrival Sweden in the semis, and then an outstanding two-point performance in the bronze medal game against Canada. The only game Ruohonen didn’t earn a point in was the 7-4 loss to Canada on New Year’s Eve.
Ruohonen would make these plays to break out the puck, too, that should not go unnoticed. He played a complete center’s game, not just trying to pot shots in the offensive zone or get a quick touch for an assist in a goal he wasn’t really involved in; Ruohonen was putting in the traditional work. Not really having any outstanding characteristic — his shot might be his best quality — but just good enough at everything to make it work and push Finland to the medal round.
Grade: B+
Max Westergard, Finland
One goal and four points in seven games; one of the youngest players on the team but didn’t seem like it
Westergard was a late-round swing in the most recent draft for the Flyers and has quickly risen up the rankings as someone we should be paying a whole lot more attention to. The winger didn’t score a whole lot of points, but he put up a very respectable four in seven games as a player who was in Finland’s bottom six.
But again, similar to Ruohonen, it was all about the detail work for the 18-year-old.
Made a comp of some good Max Westergard (#21 🇫🇮) shifts from today. Gives you an idea of the speed, transition ability, forecheck, grit, and finesse he plays with. Always in good position and able to use both his feet and stick with ease to win board battles. (1/2)#LetsGoFlyers https://t.co/xdQ3SqLVI4 pic.twitter.com/OGs7g9Sp9h
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) December 30, 2025
Extremely light on his feet, Westergard is not afraid to get into the nasty areas on the ice and will just push defenses into a corner where they can’t really handle how aggressive he is on the forecheck. Basically, he’s a Finnish Denver Barkey that might have better individual skill.
From here on out, Westergard should get so many more chances in the SHL. He’s in a similar position as Jack Berglund. Way too good for juniors (Westergard has scored 21 points in just 12 games in the Under-20 league) but not really given a whole lot of chance in the top division. Hopefully, Frolunda changes that.
Grade: B-
Shane Vansaghi, United States
Zero points in three games; was an extra forward down the stretch
Well, we had to have at least one prospect that wasn’t really involved in much. Shane Vansaghi started out his World Juniors on the United States’ fourth line but then made way for other players to get involved and sat on the sidelines for all but three games.
And in those three games, he was always a minus, unfortunately. A minus-1 against Germany in the opener, a minus-2 against Sweden, and then a minus-1 against Finland in the overtime loss. It wasn’t just being on the ice for goals against, but just how he was able to do that in such a short amount of time. The most minutes Vansaghi got was a total of six minutes and 55 seconds of ice-time against Sweden. He got five minutes against Germany and then a whole three minutes and 38 seconds against Finland. I have microwaved a meal for longer than Vansaghi was on the ice against Finland.
It was a learning opportunity and even coming into the tournament, it wasn’t expected that he would be a top-six winger anyways. Now, he’ll return to Michigan State to keep on playing many more minutes on that team and grinding out opponents.
Grade: D
