2025 World Junior Championship: 6 breakout players

Cole Hutson earned his spot with the United States for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in part because of his high-end offensive skill set. But the Washington Capitals defenseman prospect managed to stand out for how smartly he's used his abilities.

"Very dynamic," U.S. coach David Carle said. "Great plays, attacking. I thought we asked him to rein it in a little bit. In the first couple games him and [defenseman] Zeev [Buium], it was a little bit too much at times and our balance on the ice wasn't what it needed to be, and those guys needed to pick their spots better. [At the] end of the day, it didn't take anything away from them offensively; in fact, it enhanced it."

That enhancement led to Hutson becoming the first defensemen to be the outright leader in scoring at the World Juniors with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in seven games, including a goal and an assist in a 4-3 overtime win against Finland in the gold-medal game (three defensemen had previously tied for the scoring lead).

He's the fourth defenseman to lead the WJC in scoring, and the first since Erik Johnson of the U.S. tied for the lead in 2007.

Hutson was named to the World Juniors all-tournament team, and he also set a single-tournament scoring record for a U.S. defenseman, surpassing the 10 points from Ryan Ufko in 2023, Johnson in 2007, and Tom Pederson in 1989.

But he was more than just an offensive defenseman; he had a tournament-best plus-11 rating while averaging 19:29 of ice time and was a key part of a defensive effort that allowed 16 goals in seven games.

"[Carle] stresses defense just as much as offense," Hutson said. "He wants us to make plays, but he wants us to also take care of our job in the [defensive] zone too."

He did that job better than almost any other defenseman at the World Juniors, relying on his skating and high hockey IQ. One of his most memorable moments came in 4-1 win against Canada on Dec. 31. With the U.S. on a power play, he pinched down from the point to hold a puck in along the wall. Teammate Danny Nelson (New York Islanders) got a little too close, but rather than panic, Hutson followed on a parallel route through offensive zone, using Nelson to screen his release and beat goalie Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) for the first goal of the game.

"So really proud of him, and there's not much else you can say about him as a player," Carle said. "World-class vision, has a shot. Everything he does is exceptional. I'm proud of him."

Hutson was one of several players to have memorable tournaments. Here are five others (listed in alphabetical order):

Linards Feldbergs, G, Latvia (2024 draft eligible) -- Feldbergs plays for Sherbrooke in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but he's far more familiar to fans in Canada now after he made 55 saves through overtime and went 8-for-8 in the shootout in Latvia's historic 3-2 victory against Canada on Dec. 27. The 19-year-old had a .929 save percentage while facing 226 shots in playing all five of Latvia's games.

"I think this is one of the best weeks of my life,” Feldbergs said. “I’m going to remember this tournament, [my] last World Juniors. It’s going to stay in my head and in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Latvia was eliminated after a 3-2 loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals, but Feldbergs made 47 saves.

"He definitely means a lot [to the team]," forward Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals) said. "We probably wouldn't be close to any of the teams if he wasn't in the net. He's really good."

Eriks Mateiko, F, Latvia (Washington Capitals) -- Mateiko was just as important to Latvia's run as Feldbergs, with five goals in five games.

That includes a third-period power-play goal against Canada, followed by the game-deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout, and two goals against Germany, including one at 3:23 of overtime.

“He just put the team on his back,” Feldbergs said. "He's the leader of the team and he's showing the other guys, the younger ones, how to do those things, how to be the leader."

Gavin McKenna, F, Canada (2026 draft eligible) -- Canada's youngest player arguably was its most dynamic. The 17-year-old scored the opening goal in a 4-0 win against Finland on the first day of the WJC, but his 20 shots on goal were third on the team, behind Berkly Catton (24) and Easton Cowan (21).

"He's obviously unreal with so much spotlight on him," said Canada captain Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets), McKenna's roommate in Ottawa. "He finds a way to stay loose and just do his thing. He has such a creative, offensive mind and you see the plays he makes ... plays that most players don't see out there."

Gabe Perreault, F, United States (New York Rangers) -- Perreault's playmaking was one of the biggest reasons his line, along with Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) and James Hagens (2025 draft eligible), was the most productive of the tournament.

His vision and passing helped him tie for second at the tournament with 10 points (three goals, seven assists), and earn a spot on the all-tournament team.

His best game might have been against Switzerland in the quarterfinals, when he had three assists in the second period of a 7-2 victory. He got a pass off the rush from Zeev Buium (Minnesota Wild), faked a shot to freeze the goalie and passed back to Buium for a goal. He one-touched a pass from Hagens to finish a give-and-go, and then he flipped a saucer pass over a defender's stick to Leonard in the slot for a power-play goal.

"Playing for with him so long, he's always coming up with new things out there, and it's so fun to play with him," said Leonard, also a linemate with the United States National Team Development Program and the past two seasons at Boston College. "I always say this -- I've just got to have my stick on the ice and always be ready for any type of play."

Eduard Sale, F, Czechia (Seattle Kraken) -- Sale, Czechia's captain, scored six goals, including the game-winner in two of Czechia's first three games.

"He's a true leader, and he makes everyone around him better," Czechia coach Patrik Augusta said. "I like the way he acts, not only on the ice and off the ice, how he acts on the bench, and he's a big part of this team."

He capped his tournament with the game-deciding shootout goal in the 14th round of the bronze-medal game against Sweden.

The victory gave Czechia a WJC medal for the third straight year, something that hadn’t happened before. Sale is the only player with a silver medal from the 2022 WJC and bronze medals from the 2023 and 2024 tournaments.

"I told him before the game, he had a chance to be the only Czech player to win three [WJC] medals in a row," Augusta said. "And now maybe they can build him a statue."