We have already covered the teams we expect to finish in the bottom half of this year’s World Juniors, but now it’s time to think about which teams could potentially give the very top teams a run for their money.
There have been plenty of tournaments where we see a nation rise to the challenge and suddenly knock out one of Canada or U.S.A. thanks to some previously unknown NHL prospect. Will we see something similar this year? If so, we could see it from one of these teams.
Finland
Players to watch
C/RW Konsta Helenius
Helenius will be one of the key players wanting to increase their draft stock during the couple weeks of the tournament. The 2006-born (Christ, we’re old) forward is projected to be a top-10 selection at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and on a Finland team that doesn’t have as much star power as they once had, he should really see some key opportunities to lead the charge.
