There has been a ton of uncertainty surrounding the professional hockey world; NHL players have withdrawn from Olympic participation, and the league started its Christmas break early due to the recent COVID-19 surge. One of the bright spots for hockey fans is junior hockey, and rapidly approaching World Junior Championship, which looks like it’ll be played as scheduled, even with limited attendance.
While it’s safe to say we don’t want to rush to the end and see who wins the gold, it’s always fun to take a look at who could be taking home some individual hardware. Here are some potential award contenders to keep your eyes on during the tournament.
Top Forward
United States: Matty Beniers, Brett Berard, Matt Coronato, Chaz Lucius, Sasha Pastujov
Canada: Jake Neighbours, Mason McTavish, Shane Wright, Cole Perfetti, Dylan Guenther
Russia: Marat Khusnutdinov, Vasily Ponomaryov, Matvei Michkov
Sweden: William Eklund, Fabian Lysell, Isak Rosen, Alexander Holtz
Finland: Aatu Raty, Kasper Simontaival, Roni Hirvonen
The top forward at this year’s tournament is likely going to come from one of these 20 players. Czechia’s Jan Mysak, Germany’s Florian Elias and Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovsky are forwards that look to be the top performers on their respective teams, but whose performances won’t surpass those of this group.
Related: 2022 Guide To the World Junior Championship
Of the 20 players on the list, the winner is going to be…
PREDICTION: Mason McTavish, Canada
McTavish was taken third-overall for a reason. In his nine-game NHL stint, he scored two goals and three points. He’s played in three leagues the past two seasons: the NHL, Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Swiss League (Swiss-Sw). All the different kinds of experience, along with the team around him and his natural ability, should lift him above the other players on this list.
Top Defenseman
United States: Luke Hughes, Brock Faber, Jake Sanderson
Russia: Shakir Mukhamadullin, Kirill Kirsanov
Canada: Owen Power, Kaiden Guhle,
Finland: Topi Niemela, Eemil Viro
Sweden: Simon Edvinsson, Emil Andrae, Leo Lööf
The winner for Top Defenseman will likely come from one of the dozen players listed from these five nations. Czechia’s David Jiricek and Slovakia’s Simon Nemec could take a stab at it if their team makes a run, but it will likely be one from this group. The winner being…
PREDICTION: Luke Hughes, United States
While this is Hughes’s first World Junior Championship appearance, he’ll have his offensive prowess complemented by returning gold medal-winners Brock Faber and Jake Sanderson. He has chemistry with Matty Beniers and Mackie Samoskevich from playing collegiately, and could see that translate over in a big way. His brother Quinn scored five assists in 14 games between the 2018 and 2019 World Junior Championships, respectively. Now, it’s his time to shine.
Top Goaltender
United States: Drew Commesso
Russia: Yaroslav Askarov
Canada: Sebastian Cossa, Dylan Garand
Finland: Joel Blomqvist
Sweden: Jesper Wallstedt
Germany: Florian Bugl
Slovakia: Nick Malik
There’s a bit more room for discussion regarding Top Goaltender than the previous two titles. If any team is really going to go on a run, it would be on the back of their goaltender; especially for one of the “non-powerhouse” teams. Gut-instinct originally had Askarov winning this award. However, the winner will be…
PREDICTION: Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden
Wallstedt gets the nod due to his recent performances for Luleå HC. Over his past four games, he’s given up eight goals on 118 shots, a .932 save percentage (SV%). Sweden should have a good shot at medalling, let alone going for the gold, and his play is going to be the No. 1 reason why.
Top Scorer
Canada has a fantastic chance at gold this year, and it will be thanks to production from this player. He scored five goals and 11 points as captain of Canada’s U18 World Championship team. He’ll be adding his experience from his brief stint with the Anaheim Ducks, prior to being assigned to the Peterborough Petes, to the mix. If Team Canada were a bus, he’d be the driver.
PREDICTION: Mason McTavish, Canada
Most Valuable Player
The MVP shouldn’t always go to the player who’s produced the most offensively, that’s why there’s two awards. Though sometimes, a single player can win both awards. This isn’t one of those times.
The 2013-14 WJC was the last time a Swede won MVP, when Filip Forsberg took it home. 2014-15 was the last time a goalie won it, Denis Godla from Czechia. If the Swedes are going to win gold, this playerr will have stood on his head, winning not just Top Goalie, but MVP.
PREDICTION: Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden
All-Star Team
Forwards: Aatu Raty, Finland; Matty Beniers, United States; Mason McTavish Canada
Related: 2022 WJC Team USA Player Profile: Matty Beniers
Defensemen: Simon Edvinsson, Sweden; Luke Hughes, United States
Goaltender: Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden
The All-Star Team is already half-filled, as the aforementioned award winners naturally all earned slots. It’s composed solely of players on teams that could very well end up as the final four. Beniers will be the go-to guy for Team USA, while the Fins will be a hard-out and Raty will be a key factor behind that. Edvinsson may fly under the radar relative to some of the other defenders he’ll be facing, but if the Swedes are going deep, he’s leading the way from the blue line.
| Team Canada | Preview | Roster |
| Team USA | Preview | Roster |
| Team Austria | Preview | Roster |
| Team Czechia | Preview | Roster |
| Team Finland | Preview | Roster |
| Team Germany | Preview | Roster |
| Team Russia | Preview | Roster |
| Team Slovakia | Preview | Roster |
| Team Sweden | Preview | Roster |
| Team Switzerland | Preview | Roster |
Guide to the 2022 World Junior Championship
Draft Eligible Players to Watch
One Player to Watch From Each Team
Breakout Candidates & Sleeper Prospects
Predictions for the 2022 World Junior Championship
Award Contenders and Predictions
Selection Camp Invites by NHL Team