The 2023 Connor Bedard show, also known as the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, has come to a close with the Canadians walking away with gold for the second time in five months.
Team Canada defeated Czechia 3-2 in an overtime thriller to bring the most competitive edition of the World Juniors to a close.
Eventual MVP Connor Bedard stole the show with his historic, record-breaking performance, putting up a massive 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in just seven games. But he wasn’t the only player to steal focus during the event.
Before we dive in, It’s important to remember that one tournament doesn’t make or break a prospect. This tournament is simply one data point along a long hockey timeline.
That being said, several players in this event rose their stock with stand-out performances. Others may have seen their stock fall due to underwhelming performances. In this piece, you might be surprised not to see players like Bedard, Joshua Roy, Logan Cooley, David Jiricek, or Carl Lindom on the risers list, among others.
Did they raise their stock? I’d argue no — they did exactly what was expected of them. Or, other players who came in with low (or no) expectations truly stood out. Those players are the ones you’ll find in the biggest risers category.
For fallers, what it boils down to is what they were expected to do heading into the event. Were they supposed to be the focal point of the offense? The starting goaltender? If that was the expectation and it wasn’t met, that’s why their stock may have taken a hit during the event.
MORE: Blackhawks land Connor Bedard in latest 2023 NHL Mock Draft
With this in mind, let’s take a look at the prospects that exceeded expectations during the 2023 World Juniors, and those that left us wanting more.
Biggest risers at the 2023 World Juniors
Adam Gajan, G, Team Slovakia (2023 NHL Draft re-entry)
It takes a special performance to earn the honor of Top Goaltender at the World Juniors when your team doesn’t make it past the quarterfinals. But that’s exactly what Adam Gajan did. Starting the tournament without any expectations of even hitting the crease, the netminder stepped in and captured the attention of fans, and very likely NHL scouts.
Gajan faced the most shots per game of any goaltender in the tournament while recording the best save percentage (SV%) at .936. He led the team to a dominant win over Team USA, making 33 saves, but his strongest performance came in a 53-save outing against Canada in the quarterfinal.
The goaltender recently made the jump to the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers after spending most of the season with the NAHL’s Chippewa Steel. He’s committed to the NCAA’s University of Minnesota-Duluth next season, but may just hear his name called in the NHL draft before then.
Ludvig Jansson, D, Team Sweden (Florida Panthers)
On a team with high-powered offensive talents, it was defenseman Ludvig Jansson that stood out on Team Sweden (along with goaltender Carl Lindbom, of course). Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft (125th overall) by the Florida Panthers, this was Jansson’s second World Juniors tournament, recording zero points in four games in 2022.
This time around, he tied forward Filip Bystedt for the team lead in points with 10 (four goals, six assists). His goal and points totals led all defenders in the tournament, and he was named to the tournament All-Star Team. He showed up in critical moments, including the overtime game-winner against Team Czechia in regulation, the lone goals in losses to Canada and Czechia in the semifinals, and two assists in the bronze-medal game against Team USA.
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In seven games, Jansson nearly doubled his total from this season with Sodertalje SK of the Hockey Allsvenskan (six points). Not normally known for his offensive side, the Swede showed up in a big way for the team in this event, getting Panthers fans excited about what else he can do in the future.
Jiri Kulich, C, Team Czechia (Buffalo Sabres)
The Czech team in this tournament was remarkable. There were many prospects considered for this list from that team, including Stanislav Svozil, Gabriel Szturc, David Spacek, Jakub Brabenec and Matyas Sapovaliv. But Jiri Kulich was the skater that was the most consistent, effective player on the team night in and night out and was a huge reason why they reached the final.
Kulich led the team in points, with nine (seven goals, two assists) in his seven games played. Those seven goals sat second in the tournament, just two behind Bedard and tied with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. He came up clutch when he needed to, including an overtime goal in the semifinals against Sweden and the first goal for Czechia in the final against Canada to spark an exciting comeback.
While Kulich came in with higher expectations than others on this list, his ability to lead this team (with Jiricek and Svozil) to the final was remarkable. He’s been having a strong season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans after the Buffalo Sabres selected him 28th overall in the summer and looks to be a key part of the team’s future.
David Reinbacher, D, Team Austria (2023 NHL Draft eligible)
The lone first-time draft eligible on this list, many casual fans may have not known the name David Reinbacher before this event. They should know his name now. Team Austria had a rough tournament, failing to score in their first three games, but the defenseman was a bright spot game in and game out.
He might have only had two assists in the final game, but Reinbacher was consistently creating scoring chances, leading the team in transition, shutting teams down defensively, and making his 6-foot-2 presence felt every time he stepped onto the ice. The team relied on him heavily, especially in his final games (he missed the first relegation game due to illness), playing over 26 minutes against the Germans and over 27 against Latvia.
The defender may not have led his team to avoid relegation, but he did everything in his power to do just that and can’t be faulted for his team heading to the D1A edition of the event. Eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft, Reinbacher looks like a sure-fire first-rounder and could be one of the first defenders off the board on draft day.
MORE: Who’s getting promoted to the 2024 World Juniors?
Tomas Suchanek, G, Team Czechia (2023 NHL Draft re-entry)
While Gajan was named Top Goaltender of the event, Tomas Suchanek could have easily been handed the award as well. He was named to the tournament All-Star Team though, after leading the event with a 1.52 goals-against average (GAA) and finishing second with a .934 SV%. He’s also only one of two netminders (Lindbom is the other) to play every minute for their team.
Suchanek was huge for this team, starting with a 36-save performance in the tournament opener to stun Canada 5-2, up until the gold-medal game where he made another 35 saves against Canada. It’s also worth noting he broke a World Juniors record for the most assists by a netminder, recording four.
After already being passed over in the NHL Draft twice, it’s quite likely that the netminder will finally hear his name called in the 2023 edition. On top of his performance in this event, he’s having a solid season with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, where he was coming off of a five-game winning streak entering the tournament.
Ryan Ufko, D, Team USA (Nashville Predators)
Looking at the Team USA roster, there were a few standouts, including Cooley, Jimmy Snuggerud, Cutter Gauthier, Tyler Boucher and goaltender Trey Augustine. But in terms of the biggest riser, Ryan Ufko’s performance deserves that title. It’s worth noting, Augustine’s pre-semifinals performance likely would have earned him this spot.
On a team with defenders like Luke Hughes, Sean Behrens and Lane Hutson, it was Ufko leading the group’s rearguards in points with 10 (one goal, nine assists). His nine assists not only led all defenders in the tournament – but they were all primary assists as well. He hovered around 18 minutes a game for the United States, standing strong defensively while showing off his offensive skill.
Drafted way down at 115th overall by the Nashville Predators, Ufko has been solid for UMass in the NCAA this season and last, but it’s safe to say that no one saw this World Juniors performance coming. This was Ufko’s first appearance for Team USA in any international event, making it all the more impressive.
Biggest fallers at the 2023 World Juniors
Benjamin Gaudreau, G, Team Canada (San Jose Sharks)
Benjamin Gaudreau was handed the starting reins to open up this tournament and the starter’s crease was his to lose. In a shocking opening game for Canada, they lost 5-2 to Czechia, with Gaudreau giving up all five goals in just over 28 minutes of play. Thomas Milic stepped in and took over the crease, with Gaudreau getting one more game against the winless Team Austria.
While he recorded a shutout in that second game, facing just 12 shots, the crease was already lost to Milic, who had a very strong tournament — especially in the elimination rounds. After Gaudreau led Canada to a World U18 Championship in 2021, with Milic as the backup, it was expected that the same would occur here on the U20 stage. Gaudreau won top goaltender in that U18 event, but couldn’t replicate that success.
The San Jose Sharks prospect, drafted 81st overall in 2021, has a great deal of skill, but hasn’t had the numbers to back that up in his time with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. Goalies are a different breed though, and Gaudreau has the talent to move to higher levels, but this event simply didn’t go his way.
MORE: Who is Canada goalie Thomas Milic?
Brad Lambert, C, Team Finland (Winnipeg Jets)
In his third World Juniors appearance — fourth including the canceled 2022 edition — Brad Lambert had the weight of the team on his shoulders. If they were going to medal, he, along with players like Joakim Kemell and Ville Koivunen, was going to need to carry the offense. Lambert wasn’t able to do that, the team struggled offensively and Finland went home in fifth place.
Lambert has been very confusing in this event. He had four points in the tournament as a newly-turned 17-year-old in 2021, five points in just two games in the canceled 2022 edition, and just one goal in five games in each of the 2022 and 2023 editions. In 2023, he played less than 14 minutes in all but the first game, not ideal for one of your most-offensive players.
Lambert has struggled this season, his first in North America, with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. After being selected 30th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 2022, there was some hope of him being a steal. It’s still very early for him, but this was his last tournament and his time to stand up and shine. That, unfortunately, wasn’t the case.
Fabian Lysell, RW, Team Sweden (Boston Bruins)
Similar to Lambert, Fabian Lysell was a returning player to this event who was coming from the AHL and was going to be relied upon to put up points. And similar to Lambert, that just didn’t happen. Sweden managed to get to the bronze-medal game at least, in large part due to Lindbom and Jansson, but also failed to medal.
Lysell left the tournament with zero points in seven games. He did have some strong plays throughout the tournament though and did create some chances, but his lack of production ultimately hurt the team. To make matters worse, he was ejected from the bronze-medal game on his first shift for a hit to the head.
Unlike Lambert though, Lysell has been having a strong season in the AHL, going nearly a point per game with the Providence Bruins. The Bruins’ 21st selection in 2021, he remains a top prospect for the organization. But this event wasn’t great for him.
Kaiden Mbereko, G, Team USA (2023 NHL Draft re-entry)
Similar to Gaudreau, Kaiden Mbereko came into this event looking like the starter. After all, he was the No. 1 goalie for the USA just five month ago, finishing the 2022 tournament with a .921 SV% and a 1.76 GAA. But it was Augustine who took the net over and ran with it. Mbereko played just one full game, coming in as relief for starter Augustine twice.
That one game played was the American’s surprise loss to Team Slovakia, where Mbereko let in five goals on 25 shots. He then played the final three minutes in the semifinal game against Canada, not recording a save, and played 22 minutes in the high-scoring 8-7 game versus Sweden to win the bronze.
On top of his performance in the summer, Mbereko has been solid this season in the NCAA, playing for Colorado College. Now twice passed over in the NHL draft, it remains to be seen if he’ll have his name called in the 2023 edition. Right now, it does seem unlikely.