Colby Barlow, LW, Canada, 2023 eligible: Barlow didn’t play a major role on the scoring or power play in this tournament, but I thought he was effective at what was asked of him. He wrestled well and was a threat on foot. I thought his legs looked better than when I saw him last season in the OHL. We know he can score – 30 goals as a 16-year-old at O’s doesn’t happen by accident – but seeing the other things he can do well has helped his career, even if he hasn’t put up big numbers. Zachary Benson, LW, Canada, 2023 eligible: Benson didn’t light it up in a big way like I thought he would, but for me, he led Canada’s offense and was clearly the most skilled player involved. Benson isn’t that big and he doesn’t have much speed, but because of that I enjoyed seeing how hard he fought and how many battles he won. He’s elusive enough with his ends that if he keeps working on it to go with his elite hands/mind, he’ll be able to make a difference as a pro. Michael Hrabal, G, Czech Republic, 2023 eligible: Hrabal has been quite good this tournament, helping the Czech Republic to some wins in games where they were outplayed. At 6-foot-6, 201 pounds he is an imposing figure in net even as a 17-year-old. His lateral movement isn’t amazing, but it’s good for his size and complements his strong technique and reads. He is committed to UMass and plans to play at USA this season. His USHL rights are with Dubuque, which has some veteran goaltenders returning, so Hrabal told me his plan is to play in the NAHL. If that happens, he would be the best NAHL prospect since Anthony Stolarz in 2012, as Hrabal looks like the early favorite to be the first goaltender selected in the 2023 draft. Eduard Sale, LW, Czech Republic, 2023 eligible: Sale was good, but after the U18 Worlds in the spring where he scored 9 points in 6 games, I expected a little more. His toolbox is clearly NHL quality. He skates, handles the puck, passes and shoots like a pro. In his best shifts, where he played with pace and made skillful plays, Sale looked like a player who played impressively and made some of the most skilful plays in the tournament. I found his effort just mediocre, though, and there were long stretches when he didn’t do much. Brayden Yager, C, Canada, 2023 eligible: Yager had a great tournament. You could easily argue between him and Benson as the most impressive player in the competition. He’s not the biggest striker, but he does everything well. He is a strong skater with a high skill level who can make plays. His game was full of energy and of course he can finish. He had 4 goals and several posts in the tournament. Other than his shooting, I don’t know if anything about his game is high-end, but he seems like a pretty well-rounded player. Kasper Halttunen, RW, Finland, 2023 eligible: Halttunen had possibly the most disappointing tournament of the top prospects. His effort wasn’t great, which with so much skating made him disappear for long stretches. As a goalscorer, scoring only once is not the biggest argument in your favor. He’s very skilled, can tear it up and has good size, but after a great World U18, this wasn’t a great start to the draft season. Matthew Wood, RW, Canada, 2023: Wood got his points, but for a guy who did so well in junior last season, scoring nearly two points per game in the BCHL, I thought he was fine at this level as it was in Germany in U18. There is no doubt that he has talent. Wood is a big winger with great hands who sees the ice well and can shoot the puck. His skating is a major issue, however, as he’s fallen well behind the game at times and been benched in important games. The plan is for him to go to the University of Connecticut this season as a 17-year-old, but I’m concerned he’s not ready for that level. Otto Stenberg, LW, Sweden, 2023 eligible: Stenberg was the top player for Sweden. I thought he faded a bit in the tougher games, but he was still top scorer in the tournament. He is very skilled, sees the ice well, can shoot the puck and competes well at both ends of the ice. He’s not that big though, and while he skates well, he’s no blazer. I could see him as a first round pick in the second half of the round. Aron Kiviharju, LHD, Finland, 2024 eligible: Kiviharju has stood out for Finland despite being 16 years old. The feel of the hockey is excellent. He is always looking to make a play at both ends of the ice and shows great poise with the puck. Kiviharju has strong, not amazing speed, but he is a great skater with great work. He reminds me a little of Ty Smith as a junior the way he skates and moves pucks. His size at 5-foot-9 might be the only thing holding him back from being an extremely high pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Ethan Gauthier, RW, Canada, 2023 eligible: Gauthier was a player I wasn’t that high on going into this event, but I thought he had a very strong tournament. He has great hands and logic and kicked five goals, showing he had an attacking touch. His work ethic really stood out to me, albeit in a way I haven’t seen before. He’s not a great skater, especially for his size, but the fight gives him a real chance to be a guy that helps an NHL team. Where are the defenders? I wrote about this in my 2023 NHL Draft very early rankings, but the lack of defensive talent in this draft class, at least early, is noticeable. Mikhail Gulyayev was not present and would probably have stood out. Cam Allen was very good at Hlinka as a two-way guy — not as good as I thought he would be, especially offensively, but good. Theo Lindstein from Sweden was good. He’s mobile and can move sprites, but he wasn’t that strong in the medal round. Looking around the tournament, though, you had to look to find legitimate NHL defense talent. Canada had good defensemen, but in terms of first-round projections, they were either good skaters with size who lacked offense like Caden Price or Dylan MacKinnon, or undersized defensemen who weren’t dynamic offensively like Jordan Tourigny and Tanner Moldenyk. Andrew Strathmann has been good for the US as a highly mobile player with good skills, but he’s also 5-foot-11. It was my observation, and that of several NHL scouts in attendance, that this looks like a very light draft year on defense (to go with a strong year ahead). However, things can change as it’s only August and I expect guys to emerge as the season progresses. (Top photo of Ethan Gauthier by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
