Players to watch at the 2018 World Junior Championship

Hockey fans worldwide will have a chance to watch the next generation of great players when the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship kicks off December 26 at Key Bank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo, NY.
The defending gold medalists from the United States will certainly pack plenty of offensive punch, highlighted by a trio of forwards that combined for 14 goals and 34 points when playing on a line together at the 2016 World Under-18 Championship.

While they may not always play together as a unit, Casey Mittelstadt, drafted by Buffalo eighth overall last June, and Ottawa prospect Logan Brown, chosen 11th overall in 2016, will at times be re-united with fearless sparkplug Kailer Yamamato to spark the American attack.
With Mittelstadt and Brown being the higher NHL draft picks with plenty of star potential in their own rights, Yamamato could be the key player who steps up and scores a big goal when needed.
Yamamato was the surprise of Edmonton Oilers training camp earlier this season, garnering three assists in nine NHL games, often alongside Connor McDavid on the top even-strength line, before ultimately being sent back to the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs, where last season he lit the lamp 42 times as part of a 99-point campaign prior to being the 22nd pick in the 2017 draft.
Yamamoto stands 5-foot-8 using a tape measure, but where he's lacking in height he more than compensates with his competitive edge.
The Americans will need returning defensemen Ryan Lindgren (BOS) and Adam Fox (CGY) to be rocks on the back end, and solid goaltending from Jake Oettinger (DAL) and Joseph Woll (TOR) will be a must, but Yamamoto's nimble four-way skating and lightning-quick creativity, with or without Mittelstadt and Brown, will be relied upon just as heavily if the Americans are to capture their fifth title and defend gold for the first time ever.
Among all the talented players under the age of 20 that will take part in the action, perhaps the greatest sets of eyes will be on 17-year-old Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who many believe will be the first overall selection six months from now at the 2018 NHL Draft.
Deemed a future "franchise defenseman" with comparisons ranging from Hall of Famers Niklas Lidstrom and Brian Leetch to current All-Star Erik Karlsson, Dahlin has been honing his craft over the last two seasons with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League. Fans that appreciate speedy end-to-end rushes and slick puck skills will certainly be enamored with Dahlin whenever the puck comes to him.
Dahlin has the size at 6-foot-2, 183 pounds. He has the physical game down pat and knows his way around the defensive zone to complement his offensive prowess. Win or lose, it's fair to expect a lengthy Dahlin highlight reel to be built at the close of the tournament.
With Dahlin anchoring Sweden's defensive corps, Vancouver prospect Elias Pettersson will be called upon to drive the offensive attack up front.
A consistent riser last season en route to becoming the fifth overall pick in the 2017 draft, the 19-year-old Pettersson has been shredding the Swedish Hockey League this season, co-leading all skaters with 35 points (11+24) through 26 appearances with the first-place Vaxjo Lakers HC.
In a word, Pettersson is tenacious. He's an absolute hound on the puck, and he's extremely elusive when he gets it as he accelerates towards the net to employ his fast hands and accurate shooting ability. With the Junior-level game seemingly slowing down for him over the coming weeks, the stage is set for Pettersson to introduce himself to the hockey world in a big way.
Canada will have seven returnees from last season's squad that fell to the Americans in the gold medal game, including prized Philadelphia goaltending prospect Carter Hart, but perhaps the biggest name to keep an eye on is a new one - St. Louis Blues draft pick Jordan Kyrou.
A dynamic, hard-working forward that competently plays both sides of special teams, Kyrou has taken his game to the next level this season with the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting, recording 19 goals and a league-best 58 points in the 30 games prior to departing for the World Junior Selection Camp.
Kyrou, who was chosen 35th overall at the 2016 NHL Draft, is equal parts fast and creative.
If the Canadians are going to claim their 17th World Junior Championship, Kyrou's responsible two-way play will no doubt be a primary catalyst to success. A strong showing may even earn him consideration for Canada's 2018 Olympic squad.
Team Russia is always a tournament wildcard, but top 2018 NHL Draft prospect Andrei Svechnikov is a certainty to stand out every time his club takes the ice.
At 6-foot-3 and 184 pounds, Svechnikov has the size and reach that National Hockey League scouts crave, but it's the speed and soft hands packed into the ideal frame that will see him among the first forwards taken in the June draft.
Svechnikov stood out as a 16-year-old last season in the United States Hockey League, snatching 29 goals and 58 points in 48 games with Muskegon. The performance earned him the nod as the first overall pick in the 2017 CHL Import Draft, and he's been lethal in his first 16 games with the OHL Barrie Colts, piling up 14 goals despite missing nearly two months with a broken hand.
After being selected 12th overall by Carolina last June and playing one NHL game before being returned to HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Elite League, Martin Necas returns to North American soil with his eyes set on helping his country earn their first medal since 2005, when the Czechs battled their way to bronze.
The first thing fans notice with Necas is his speed. Despite notching just one goal and three points in five games at last year's tournament, Necas put his agile playmaking ability on display on virtually every shift. The experience, combined with his 50 professional games in the top Czech league, should serve his country well this go-round.
Joining Necas as marquee forwards on the Czech Republic's roster are 2018 draft eligible forward Filip Zadina, a high-end shooter currently playing with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Filip Chytil, a well-rounded offensive force who was selected 21st overall by the New York Rangers in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Zadina has been impressive in his first foray into North American hockey, compiling 24 goals and 46 points in his first 32 games. His mix of size and offensive dominance will likely see him become a top-10 pick come June.
Chytil was an immediate surprise for the Rangers, cracking the NHL roster out of training camp before being dispatched to Hartford in the American Hockey League, where he's captured five goals and 12 points in 15 contests.
Many see Finland as a dark horse contender in this year's tournament due to their balanced lineup, and if those projections are to come to fruition for the 2014 and 2016 gold medalists, the electrifying Eeli Tolvanen and budding Winnipeg power forward Kristian Vesalainen will need to put the puck in the net.
Chosen 30th overall by the Predators in 2017, Tolvanen is a shots-on-goal machine that can burn defenders in transition. Through 39 games with Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League, Tolvanen has blazed his way to 17 goals, which ties for fourth among league skaters, and 32 points.
Vesalainen produced just two points (1+1) at last year's World Junior Championship, but he dominated the World Under-18 Championship a few months later, notching six goals and 13 points in the tournament's nine games to earn the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
In 26 games this season with HPK in Finland's top professional league, Vesalainen has used his heavy shot and strong cycle work to score eight goals and 19 total points.
If the forwards falter, Finland could always turn to a mobile defensive group that features a pair of top-five NHL draft picks in Dallas' Miro Heiskanen (2017, 3rd overall) and Vancouver's Olli Juolevi (2016, 5th overall), who each have 14 points in 20 Liiga games this season.
For tickets and more info on the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, please visit BuffaloWorldJuniors.com.
For more on all the youngsters in the Sabres pipeline, check out Kris Baker's website, SabresProspects.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@SabresProspects) for in-game updates throughout the week on any Buffalo prospects that are in action. He will also be providing insight on the Sabres prospects in the tournament here on Sabres.com.