The 2026 scouting calendar is nearing its conclusion. The CHL is already deep into their playoffs, the college hockey season has concluded, and the junior circuit in Europe has recently come to an end as well.
For the next 10 days I’m based out of Bratislava, Slovakia, one of the host cities for the Men’s U18 World Championship alongside Trencin.
With the NHL Draft on the horizon, this event provides teams one final opportunity to view prospects in high leverage games representing their countries.
Here are some players to watch at the tournament:
CANADA
Keaton Verhoeff, 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, right shot defenceman, North Dakota (NCAA)
Verhoeff has been in the conversation at the top of the draft class all season long. He had a solid year playing for North Dakota at the NCAA level. The two-way defenceman has the skill set to quarterback a power play and beat goalies from long distance with a hard and accurate shot. Verhoeff produced 6G-14A in 36 regular season games for the Fighting Hawks. The previous year he contributed 21G-24A in the WHL playing for Victoria.
It will be interesting to see how Verhoeff is deployed for Team Canada. Playing amongst his peer group provides Verhoeff an opportunity to plant more seeds of confidence for one of the teams drafting in the top five in June.
Tynan Lawrence, 6-foot, 185 pounds, left shot centre, Boston University
This tournament provides players an opportunity to reset their trajectory in comparison to their draft eligible peers. I’m curious to see the impact Lawrence has offensively at the tournament after an up-and-down season playing first in the USHL with Muskegon and then the NCAA with Boston University.
After producing 10G-7A in 13 games with Muskegon, Lawrence made the move to the NCAA mid-season and it took him some time to adjust to the level. He totalled 2G-5A in in 18 games with BU.
Lawrence is one of the top centres available in the draft. His all-around game took a big step forward towards the end of the year, so a big tournament offensively will go a long way towards elevating his draft stock.
Adam Valentini, 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, left shot forward, Michigan
Valentini can play both centre and wing, but at Michigan he primarily played on the wing. He’s sturdy and strong and doesn’t shy away from contact or battling for pucks in the hard areas of the ice. His off-puck attention to detail improved on a weekly basis this season at Michigan, to the point I believe Team Canada can have the confidence to deploy Valentini in a variety of roles at the tournament.
FINLAND
Oliver Suvanto, 6-foot-2, 207 pounds, left shot forward, Tappara (U20)
Suvanto is the kind of player NHL teams value when games get physical. His offensive numbers don’t jump off the page, but Suvanto’s a big, strong, engaged power forward who extends plays along the boards and gives opponents all they can handle out front of the net. There are times when it takes two opponents to move him off the play, which opens up more space for his teammates to create and score.
Juho Piiparinen, 6-foot-1, 201 pounds, right shot defenceman, Tappara (Liiga/U20)
Piiparinen is an intriguing prospect. The right-shot defenceman displays excellent skating ability and battles to win pucks physically in the defensive zone. He has the puck skill to quarterback a power play, but his real value appears when he’s matched up against the opposition's top forward groups.
I’m expecting Piiparinen to be deployed in all situations for Finland and be on the ice for well over 20 minutes per game. He didn’t score a goal at the pro level, but he did contribute 1G-12A at the U20 level competing against his peer group.
SWEDEN
Elton Hermansson, 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, right shot winger, MoDo (Allsvenskan)
Hermansson produced his share of offence playing pro in Sweden’s second division this season. He’s trustworthy, plays with solid pace and pays attention to detail on and off the puck. He’s the kind of prospect who can be deployed in a variety of roles in addition to creating offence.
Alexander Command, 6-foot-1, 183 pounds, left shot centre, Orebro (Sweden J20)
Command is one of my favourite draft targets in the back half of the first-round. He plays a tight, detailed game on and off the puck and has the skill and speed to attack off the rush and drive to the net. Command contributed 17G-27A at the J20 level in Sweden this year while being whistled for 61 penalty minutes.
Markus Nordmark, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, left shot forward, Djurgardens (Sweden J20)
Nordmark has a chance to be selected in the top 10 at the draft in June. He has decent size and deceptive speed. Nordmark is the kind of player who controls the pace of the game with the puck on his stick. He changes gears, pulls up to make plays, and is generally difficult to check. He produced 14G-24A at the J20 level this season. Goalies can’t sleep on his shot from distance. He’s proven he can shoot the puck in motion from the outside and beat netminders in the process.
USA
Wyatt Cullen, 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, left shot winger, USNTDP
Cullen has battled through some injuries at times this year but, when healthy and at his best, he’s a play-driving forward who’s very difficult to check. He makes plays from the perimeter and escapes pressure in small areas. I appreciate his competitive approach and feel he has another level of offence to provide in the future.
Casey Mutryn, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, right shot winger, USNTDP
Mutryn is another power forward competing at this tournament who’s hard to play against and consistently involved battling to create turnovers or extend puck possession along the boards. He won’t wow anyone with elite skill, so he might fly under the radar of a naked eye, but he plays a valuable role that led to 14G-23A in 55 games this year. He was also whistled for 87 penalty minutes.
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