Now that the dust has settled and Canadian Twitter users have eased up about Team Canada’s lacklustre performance, it felt like the perfect time to reflect on the tournament and determine who the best players from each nation were.
In terms of exciting and enjoyable hockey, this year’s World Junior was no different than what we have come to expect, with some players living up to the lofty expectations placed on them and others completely exceeding them (I’m looking at you – Team Latvia).
This list presents the players in order of final standings for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, with honourable mentions to follow.
USA – Ryan Leonard, Forward
It is pretty difficult to not choose the MVP and Top Forward of the tournament as the best player from their respective team, and Ryan Leonard did everything to deserve the honours from the IIHF (and from me). From a stats perspective, Leonard stood out – tied for second in points and third in goals on the tournament overall for a total of ten points, as well as finishing at a very respectable +10, and a gold medal.
Selected as the captain of a heavily favoured team coming into the tournament, the Capital’s former first-rounder had a lot of pressure on him.
However, he was extremely dominant all tournament long and led his country to their first-ever back-back World Junior Championship. Leonard plays with a unique blend of skill and strength as he uses his body to terrorize defenders on the forecheck, and also can handle the puck in tight and finish very efficiently.
I do not doubt that the Caps knew what they had in Leonard, but now everyone else does. This kid has a bright future ahead of him.
Finland – Petteri Rimpinen, Goaltender
The first of several goalies who stole the show at this year’s tournament, Petteri Rimpinen was the best Finnish player at the 2025 tournament. The stats he put up speak for themself. He won the best goalie of the tournament and led his team all the way to a silver medal, posting a .933 SV% and a GAA average of 2.34.
Stats aside, Rimpinen made several clutch saves late into the Gold Medal game that ultimately kept him and his countrymen in contention for gold.
Rimpinen was an absolute brick wall in net for the Finns and exceeded expectations all tournament long. The most interesting part of it all is that he remains undrafted. Coming into the 2025 NHL draft, he would be considered an overeager, but is still eligible to be selected and after this performance – I think he will get his name called this year.
Czechia – Michael Hrabel, Goaltender
Team Czechia looked excellent all tournament long, and there were a few other names that could have been chosen here, Jakub Stancl was an offensive machine and Captain Eduard Sale who scored the goal to seal the deal were both solid options. However, after watching that thrilling shootout in the Bronze Medal game, my mind was made up; Michael Hrabel was undoubtedly the best player for Team Czechia.
This Utah HC draft pick has a huge frame, standing at 6’6″ – a near must to be in contention for an NHL starting job these days, and has such excellent positioning and movement that made him stand out every night. Hrabel posted excellent numbers in all of his starts, but beyond being reliable in net he stole a handful of games for the Czechs.
Above all, his composure and execution during the nine-round shootout for the Bronze medal against a powerhouse like Sweden was very impressive. This is now two back-to-back medals and excellent showings for the UMass Amherst netminder.
Utah has an excellent prospect on their hands with Hrabel.
Sweden – Axel Sandin-Pelikka, Defenseman
Choosing Sandin-Pelikka was the easiest choice I had for this list, ASP is one of the most entertaining, dangerous, and dynamic defensemen I’ve seen since someone like Quinn Hughes. He came out of the gates with an impressive hat trick in the tournament opener and maintained excellence throughout the tournament.
All of this together earned him the best defenseman honours for the second year in a row, and it was certainly well deserved.
Notching ten points throughout seven games, Sandin-Pelikka demonstrated exactly what the Red Wings scouts (and many others) saw in him. Pelikka is an excellent skater who can break the puck out of his zone and start the rush with ease. He is also very diligent on the defence and plays a very well-rounded game that I think will transfer very well to the NHL level.
Anyone who can walk the blueline with the likes of Cale Makar is someone you are immediately drawn to when his team is playing. He also has a lethal shot and very nifty hands, which he showed off in the shootout of the Bronze Medal game.
I think he looked like one of the most NHL-ready players in the tournament, and I’m sure that Stevie Y and the Wings can’t wait to get him over to North America to stay. Bright things are ahead for ASP.
Canada – Carter George, Goaltender
In what was certainly a down year for Canada’s World Junior team, LA Kings draft pick Carter George was an extremely bright spot for the Canadians. George was perfect in his starts against Finland (4-0) and against Germany (3-0).
It is also important to note that George did not play in the disastrous shootout loss to Team Latvia. Even after the loss to the US, George hadn’t let in an even-strength goal at that point in the tournament. He was rock-solid all tournament long and gave Canada as good of a chance to win each night as any, making clutch saves in moments of panic and chaos on Canada’s end.
George will be eligible to return to the team next year for a potential redemption, and that already gives Canada a leg up.
In my opinion, George displays an unbelievable level of calmness in his net and is the best Canadian goaltender prospect in recent years. He certainly feels like a guy we will see in the red and white for the years to come.
Slovakia – Dalibor Dvorsky, Forward
Dvorsky was the 10th overall pick in 2023 to the St. Louis Blues and he sure looked like it at this year’s World Juniors.
Returning to Captain his country after an excellent start to his pro career with almost a point per game in Springfield, Dvorksy had high expectations placed on him. Along with his fellow Blues prospect Juraj Pekarcik, Dvorsky led the charge offensively for team Slovakia, notching five goals and four assists through 5 total games.
With absolutely nasty hands and a heavy shot, Dvorsky was one of my favourite players to watch this year, and I think anyone who watched any of Slovakia’s games would certainly agree with me. This kid is electric. I mean, just check this out:
Latvia – Linards Feldbergs, Goaltender
We all knew this one was coming. Latvia had an amazing tournament all things considered, and without Feldbergs things would have gone a lot differently. In the fairy tale game against the Canadians, Feldbergs turned aside 55 of 57 shots to lead Latvia to its first-ever win over Team Canada in a thrilling shootout.
As amazing as the win against Canada was, Feldbergs did not falter throughout the rest of the tournament, most notably when he stopped 47 of 50 shots in a quarter-finals matchup against Sweden that looked very winnable for the Latvians – solely due to Feldbergs’ performance.
The Sherbrooke Phoenix netminder put together such a memorable performance and joins a surprisingly long list of Latvian netminders who put on dazzling performances in the World Juniors. Although they didn’t medal, the magic that Team Latvia brought to the tournament this year is precisely what makes the World Juniors so special.
Switzerland – Leo Braillard, Forward
Although Team Switzerland didn’t have an overly exciting performance this year, they still managed to not get relegated. Lethbridge Hurricane forward Leo Braillard had a big part in that. Scoring three goals over the tourney including this rocket against the Swedes.
The 19-year-old had a very productive season last year in the WHL, after making the move from Shawinigan in the QMJHL to Lethbridge.
While he isn’t scoring at the same clip that he was last year, he is still a big part of his junior team and was my pick for the best player for the Swiss. He led them in point and was named one of the top three players on the squad. I’ll be keeping an eye on Braillard as the CHL season progresses.
Germany – Julius Sumpf, Forward
Team Germany managed to stave off relegation for the second year in a row, and one of their key guys in this effort was Moncton Wildcat Julius Sumpf. Sumpf has been excellent for the powerhouse Wildcats this year and was easily the most impressive player for Team Germany.
He was efficient all tournament long and made a big impact on his home country, most notably scoring the goal that kept Germany from being relegated out of the tournament.
Armed with a great offensive toolkit and the ability to rise to the occasion, I don’t think that the NHL dream is out of reach for Sumpf, he is in his final year of eligibility and I wouldn’t be surprised if an NHL team took a chance on him.
Kazakhstan – Kirill Lyapunov, Forward
In a tournament that ended with relegation back to Division 1A, there weren’t a lot of positive takeaways from Team Kazakhstan’s performance this year. One bright spot was forward Kirill Lyapunov of Snezhnye Barsy Astana of the MHL. During the New Years Eve game against the Swiss showed off some serious skill by scoring one of the nicest goals in the tournament.
Lyapunov also added two other goals to finish with 3 total in the tournament and was the most dangerous offensive threat for the Kazahks all tourney long. He is also over a PPG in the MHL ( a top U-20 league based in Russia) and seems like he has a bright future of professional hockey ahead of him and has even attracted the attention of NHL scouts according to Steven Ellis.
That wraps up my list of the best players from each nation in the 2025 World Junior Championships. Over the course of putting this list together, I had to make some difficult decisions so I’ve added a few of my honorable mentions below!
Honorable Mentions:
Eriks Mateiko, Cole Hutson, Jakub Stancl
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