Zach Dean - Canada
Zach Dean was the only Golden Knights prospect on Canada's gold-winning squad. The forward tallied three points (1G, 2A) in seven games for Canada, with his goal coming in Canada's 11-0 defeat of Austria early in the tournament.
He also had a highlight-real assist on this Adam Fantilli game-winning goal against the United States.
Jakub Brabenec - Czechia
Jakub Brabenec along with his compatriot and fellow Golden Knights prospect, Matyas Sapovaliv, aided Czechia's run to the World Junior Championship final . In seven games, Brabenec recorded seven points (1G, 6A) and a +7 rating. At a point per game, Brabenec played a substantial role in Czechia's success with two game-tying assists and this game-winning goal against Austria.
In the final against Canada, Brabenec was selected as player of the game for Czechia.
Matyas Sapovaliv - Czechia
Matyas Sapovaliv, similar to Brabenec, was instrumental to Czechia's best World Juniors result since its 2001 first place finish. In the face-off circle, the center was outstanding, leading the tournament in face-offs won with 95. He also ranked first amongst players that took at least 100 face-offs, recording a face-off win percentage of 60.51%. Sapovaliv recorded a +9 rating as he tallied seven points (7A) in seven games. Of those assists, he recorded four of them in Czechia's 9-0 win against Austria.
He also picked up the primary assist on Juri Kulich's overtime goal against Sweden that sent Czechia to the final.
Carl Lindbom - Sweden
Goaltender Carl Lindbom was Sweden's starter in 2023's World Juniors. His play was key in Sweden advancing all the way to the bronze-medal game against the United States. In the preliminary round of the tournament, Lindbom held a record of 3-1-0, a .942 save percentage (SV%), two shutouts and a 1.74 goals-against average (GAA). Sweden's quarterfinal victory over Finland saw Lindbom make several important stops to keep his team in the game.
Some of Lindbom's best work came in Sweden's semifinal loss to Czechia; his glove save on this play being the best example of that.
Though Sweden's 8-7 overtime loss to the U.S. in the bronze medal game hurt his overall statistics, Lindbom still finished the tournament with a record of 4-3-0, a .914 SV% and a 2.64 GAA.
