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Ryan Leonard (USA): Team USA’s captain was unreal this tournament, scoring, drawing penalties (and taking them), and generally making smart plays as he did what he does best and drove to the net. It was no surprise that he won the tournament MVP award. He was absolutely relentless both with and without the puck. It’s easy to see why the Washington Capitals love him, and it’s terrifying to consider a Capitals team that has both Leonard and Tom Wilson on the roster. Talk about havoc. Leonard finished the tournament third in scoring with 10 points, including 5 goals.
Gabe Perreault (USA): We said back in the summer that Perreault not turning pro was the best decision, and this tournament showcased exactly why. However good Perreault looked last year, he looked better this year. It felt like he was all over the ice making plays sometimes out of seemingly nothing. Perreault finished the tournament fifth in scoring, with 10 points including three goals, and was a whopping +10. I don’t usually love plus/minus, but as a means of showing how many goals against Perreault was on the ice for during a short tournament—well. It speaks for itself. His vision and ability to anticipate where the play is going is extremely valuable. Look for the New York Rangers to push hard to sign him this summer and lure him away from Boston College—although, with the current state of the Rangers, that may not be the best decision for Perreault.
Axel Sandin Pellikka (SWE): Despite Sweden not medaling, they had several players who could’ve deserved a shoutout in this section if we had unlimited space (see the honorable mentions on the previous slide). Defenseman Sandin Pellikka, their captain, set the tone early and often. He was fourth in tournament scoring, including four goals, and his high-level playmaking ability was a huge reason why Sweden was a significant threat every time they went on the power play. I lost count of the number of times that he and teammate Felix Unger Sorum connected for plays that were both extremely smart and, honestly, also really pretty. The Detroit Red Wings will no doubt try to get him over to North America as soon as they can.
Matthew Schaefer (CAN): Ignore that Canada went out in the quarter finals. Ignore that defenseman Schaefer broke his collarbone very early in the tournament and had to have surgery, and that he’ll miss a significant chunk of the rest of the season. The way that he can fully take over games, and is a menace from one end of the ice to the other, was on full display in the games that he did play in this tournament. Scuttlebutt is that he has passed Hagens for quite a few scouts. Spend some time watching his shifts and you’ll understand why, whether you agree or not. His vision and defensive awareness, his skating, his decision-making with the puck—they’re all currently pointing toward a very long and productive NHL career.
Victor Eklund (SWE): Winger Eklund is on many people’s draft list as the top European prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft. Watching this tournament made it extremely easy to understand why. Despite being one of the younger players on the roster, he was key to the success that Sweden did have. Eklund was relentless on the forecheck and on puck retrievals, and was clearly dedicated to doing all the “little things” right. His tenacity is just as important as his vision, and his high-end passing skills were on full display. Eklund ended the tournament with six points, including two goals.
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