Canes Reminisce On World Juniors Experiences

RALEIGH, N.C. - Sebastian Aho has fond memories of both times he played in the IIHF World Junior Championship, but make no mistake - he definitely has a favorite.

His first experience came at the 2015 tournament in Montreal and Toronto. Just 17 at the time, Aho was one of the youngest players in a tournament usually dominated by 19-year-olds. Finland finished seventh out of 10 teams after falling to its rival, Sweden, in the quarterfinals.

But as unforgettable as that trip across the Atlantic was, it's the following year that really sticks with Aho.

In 2016, he returned to the lineup as a leader and helped guide the Finns to the gold medal on home ice, finishing the job with a thrilling OT win over Russia at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki.

"It was unreal, both times (I went)," he said. "First time, we didn't do as good as a team, but it was in Montreal and Toronto and the atmosphere and everything was unreal..."

But...

"(Winning in Finland was) insane. Just the atmosphere, the feeling, playing for your home country - we had such a good team and such good friends from that team, and to top it off with the win, that creates a special bond for sure. It was unbelievable," he added.

Aho centered Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujärvi in Helsinki, forming a line many believe to be among the best in World Juniors history. The latter two went on to be selected second and fourth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft after the trio led the tournament in scoring, but Aho - selected by Carolina in the second round just six months earlier - looked every bit the part of a star player alongside them.

Since then, he and many of his teammates have enjoyed stellar NHL careers, and Aho appreciated the unique opportunity afforded to him by playing in World Juniors.

"We were stacked. We had a good team, those two guys on my wings played really well," said Aho. "Not to mention we had guys like (Roope) Hintz, (Mikko) Rantanen and (Kasperi) Kapanen on the other line, so it was a stacked team and a lot of players have had great NHL careers after, so yeah, special group."

One of the most exciting and highly anticipated events of the hockey calendar, the World Junior Championship perennially pits the 10 best U20 national hockey teams against one another, providing hockey fans and NHL front offices an opportunity to see many recent and future top NHL Draft picks in action against other top talents in their age group.

This year's edition kicks off on Dec. 26 in Ottawa, Ont., with many young players eager to make the same jump Aho did. Three Canes prospects are set to participate: Bradly Nadeau will represent Canada, while Felix Unger Sorum and Oskar Vuollet are set to sport the Tre Kronor of Sweden.

In total, 13 members of the Hurricanes roster have previously played in the tournament. Most recently, Jackson Blake captured the bronze medal with the United States in 2023, a memory he says he'll carry throughout his career.

"That was a tournament I dreamt of playing in, for sure," said Blake. "Growing up, you always watch it around Christmas time. But what I remember most was just meeting all (my teammates). You've played against those guys that you (eventually) played with on Team USA, all the ones who are first-rounders, so it's cool to bond with those guys for that month and play with really good players, the best from your age group."

Blake's bronze medal didn't come easy - a tough-luck loss to the Canadians in the semi-final round left the Americans scrapping with the Swedes for the last piece of hardware in what became an instant classic. After more than an hour of hockey and a stunning 15 total goals scored, Blake and his countrymen came out on top.

"That was a crazy game, I think it was 8-7 or something like that. (It was) a little upsetting the day before, losing to Canada, that sucked, but at least to come home with a medal, that's all you can do at that point. It's something I'll remember forever."

Rod Brind'Amour also enjoyed a unique World Juniors experience, representing Canada at the 1989 event in Anchorage, Alaska.

"That was just fun to be somewhere I'd never been. We didn't do very well, so it was not the best experience for that, but I do remember playing the Russian team that had all those guys like (Sergei) Fedorov and (Alexander) Mogilny, so it was pretty impressive watching that," he said.

Despite the result - Canada placed fourth behind the Soviet Union, Sweden and Czechoslovakia - Brind'Amour relished the opportunity to skate alongside some of the game's greats, regardless of what jersey they wore.

"It's great, you get to play with some - I don't want to say the 'top' guys, but you kind of do. I was in college, so I left Michigan State to go play, and it was just a good experience to be with players I never really got to play with, and they were all the top players. And playing against the top players - the U.S. had a good team back then, that was the (Jeremy) Roenicks and (Mike) Modanos - to be around all of that was a great experience," he said.

Winning will assuredly be the priority for Nadeau, Unger Sorum and Vuollet once the puck drops on Boxing Day, and both Canada and Sweden have a solid chance of at least finding their way onto the podium. So what advice would former gold medalist Aho have for this year's hopefuls?

"Just enjoy it, I guess. It's kind of once-in-a-lifetime, obviously you might play twice there, but most of the time, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said. "The hockey is good, it's fast-paced, it's skilled, it's fun to watch, fun to play. The crowd usually is really into it, so it's a fun tournament, I really liked it both times I was there."

As for Blake, the 2021 fourth-rounder found himself a little gun-shy lining up alongside and across from rosters full of first-round pedigree. But draft status and past success go out the window in a tournament like this, offering each player the opportunity to make an impact if they can rise to the occasion.

"For me, at the start, it was a little intimidating. Obviously, (I was) playing against all these guys like (Connor) Bedard and stuff like that, but I think you've just got to go into it knowing you're just as good as those guys and you can compete with those guys. Just play your game, and as long as you do that and do what got you there, I think that's what's most important," he said.

"It's a really cool tournament, and if you get the chance to play in it, it'll probably be one of the most exciting tournaments you ever get to play in."

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The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship takes place from Dec. 26, 2024 - Jan. 5, 2025. Fans in the United States can watch on NHL Network, while fans in Canada can watch on TSN. For more information about the tournament, click here.