Sunday, the 2019 IIHF World Under-18 Championship concluded with Sweden taking down Russia 4-3 to win the gold medal game at the Fjallraven Center in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. The United States, meanwhile, secured the bronze medal with a 5-2 victory over Canada earlier in the day.
The tournament, which featured many 2019 NHL Draft Prospects, is relevant to the Blackhawks, who hold the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft. While it’s anyone’s guess as to whom the Blackhawks will draft on June 21, several candidates played for the United States, Canada and Russia.
United States: Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Matthew Boldy, Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras
Canada: Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens
Russia: Vasili Podkolzin
How did these players fare in the tournament, though? Let’s take a look:
United States
Jack Hughes is considered the best prospect in the entire draft and his play in Sweden reaffirmed this notion. In seven games, the 17-year-old from Orlando scored 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists). While he led the tournament in the latter category, he finished second in goals to Cole Caufield.
Caufield, 18, scored a whopping 14 goals in seven games. The 5-foot-6 forward, who is committed to University of Wisconsin, finished with the second-most points in the entire tournament (18), only trailing Hughes.
NHL
Matthew Boldy (three goals/nine assists in seven games), Alex Turcotte (four goals/five assists in seven games) and Trevor Zegras (nine assists in seven games) also were key contributors for the United States. The trio are committed to Boston College, Wisconsin and Boston University, respectively.
Canada
Peyton Krebs led Canada with 10 points (six goals, four assists) in seven games, with Dylan Cozens (four goals, five assists) not too far behind. Both players are 18 years old and capable of playing center and wing.
Russia
Vasili Podkolzin went goal-less until Sunday’s gold medal game, finishing the tournament with one goal and three assists in seven games. He is considered one of the top European prospects in the draft, though he has two years remaining on his KHL contract.
Read more on Turcotte, Krebs, Cozens and Podkolzin here.
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