Standout prospects from the world juniors preliminary round: Hutson, Lyapunov, multiple Latvians

The preliminary round of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship is complete, and it was one to remember, with perhaps the most parity in the preliminary round of this tournament in its history. Kazakhstan took Slovakia to overtime, and the Latvians beat the Canadians for the first time in tournament history.

With that in mind, here are some of the standout players and performances of a round-robin to remember, with the medal round beginning this Thursday:

Linards Feldbergs

The Latvian goaltender was nothing short of sensational in the round-robin, carrying his nation to two victories, including one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Feldbergs ranks third in the tournament in save percentage, with a .926 heading into a quarterfinal matchup with Sweden. His 163 saves lead the tournament by a wide margin and many coming at key times in the games against Canada and Germany.

Feldbergs seemed to have all the answers when Latvia needed him most, particularly against Canada with key save after key save and a perfect record in the shootout.

There is no denying that he has been the best goaltender in the tournament thus far. His performance over the last week allowed Latvia to qualify for the quarterfinals and was so noteworthy that former NHL goaltender and Canadian WJC star Carey Price tweeted congratulations to him.

Feldbergs, wow. Well done kid.

On to the next one boys. 🇨🇦

— Carey Price (@CP0031) December 28, 2024

The 19-year-old has turned heads at the tournament and while it may not be enough to get him drafted, he’ll surely have many eyes on him in the back half of the season in Sherbrooke.

All of Latvia, quite frankly

Latvia has been the tournament’s Cinderella. Any time you knock off Canada or another tournament favorite when you are widely expected to play in the relegation round, you are going to turn heads.

Latvia plays a tough game. They check well, they have the speed to create off the rush, they take advantage of scoring chances and play disciplined in the defensive zone. It is not a stretch to say they outworked their opponents and capitalized on their opportunities, making teams pay.

Eriks Mateiko led the way up front with three goals, while Bruno Osmanis and Olivers Murnieks chipped in with four and three points, respectively. That was all Latvia needed to beat Canada in a low-scoring affair and secure the overtime win against Germany.

The goaltending has been otherworldly, and while they’ll be in a tough matchup against Sweden, they’ve sent a message that they’re willing to outwork opponents, and have a goaltender that can stifle offensive firepower.

Kirill Lyapunov

The Kazakhstani forward has grabbed the attention of scouts through the round-robin with three goals in four games. He’s been a driving force for Kazakhstan, and played a major role in taking Slovakia to overtime, scoring a shorthanded goal to tie the game with 29 seconds remaining in regulation.

His speed, tenacity on the puck and finishing ability have been noticed by scouts, and the 19-year-old will likely garner some extra attention in the back half of the MHL season in Russia.

Kazakhstan is going to need him to be excellent in their relegation matchup against Germany, as Asanali Sarkenov was suspended for a cross-check in the Slovakia game.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka

The Swedish defenseman has been a shining light on an impressive Swedish team through the round-robin. An opening day hat trick certainly put the tournament on notice that the Swedish captain came to avenge last year’s silver medal finish.

The Detroit Red Wings first-rounder has been outstanding for Sweden, playing major minutes, averaging two points and 6.25 shots per game through the round-robin. A driving force for Sweden from the blue line, Sandin-Pellikka is leading the way for the tournament’s best defenseman award heading into the medal round, and will be a key piece if Sweden are to medal.

Not only is Sandin-Pellikka leading the tournament in points, but he’s also leading in goals and is a plus-7 through the round-robin. He’s impacting the game offensively and defensively, driving play and tilting the ice in Sweden’s favor whenever he’s on.

The smooth-skating offensive dynamo looks every bit the part of a future power-play quarterback in Detroit.

Cole Hutson

Hutson has been very impressive for the Americans, and is tied for the tournament lead in scoring with eight points. His patience with the puck and ability to find seams to make clean passes to generate quality scoring chances has been brilliant to watch.

The Washington Capitals second-rounder has been a maestro on the power play, slicing through opposing penalty kills with his skill and forcing penalty killers out of position to open lanes. He has been clean with the puck, without glaring turnovers that lead to scoring chances for opponents, and has become a major factor in the American offense.

The 18-year-old is not going be a defensive stalwart, but he isn’t getting scored on, and he creates dangerous scoring chances every shift. It is a flashy game that has been highly effective for the Americans as he’s been their best defenseman through the round-robin.

Cole Hutson with a beautiful setup to Nelson for the 🚨 #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/YzGzU7EC6M

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 1, 2025

Carter George

Without Carter George, we might be taking about Canada finishing fourth in the round-robin on home ice. The team in front of George has been dreadful, and if not for his shutout performance against Finland, Canada could’ve been in major trouble.

The Los Angeles Kings second-rounder leads the tournament with a .964 save percentage and 1.01 goals-against average. Goals against is generally considered a team stat, but it is obvious that George has carried Canada with his excellent performances. Two shutout wins will always get the attention of onlookers, and he performed well against the Americans in his only loss of the tournament, with 24 saves on 27 shots, each of which was a power-play goal.

Coming into the tournament, Canada seemed to lack offensive firepower and planned to lean on outstanding performances in goal. At least, that is what their roster construction told scouts and fans. George has more than lived up to his end of the bargain, and Canada is going to need to score more than two goals per game if they expect to win a medal at this tournament.

George has been outstanding with key saves at critical times, and will need to continue to do so while his teammates sort out their lack of offensive output.