A Look at Ten NHL Prospects for the 2024 World Junior Championship.

The start of the World Junior Championship on December 26 brings a welcome change of pace to the midpoint of the hockey season. With high-stakes games every night, this tournament breaks up the monotony of an 82-game regular season grind for NHL teams. There’s also a sense of national pride at stake, and since the NHL doesn’t participate in the Olympics or World Cup, this is the highest level of international men’s hockey available.

It offers a preview of the NHL’s future as well. Yes, players like Logan Cooley, Adam Fantilli, and Connor Bedard aren’t in this tournament because they’ve already made the jump. Still, this is an impressive collection of teenagers from all over the world. Many of them will become NHL players. Among them will be some elite athletes. Most likely, one of them will be selected first overall in the NHL Draft of 2024.

These ten NHL prospects from the 2024 World Junior Championship are worth keeping an eye on.

Macklin Celebrini, at just 17 years old, is the clear favorite to be the first overall pick in 2024; he may not be Connor Bedard, but he is still a very good player.

Celebrini, an accelerated freshman at Boston University, has tallied 10 goals and 15 assists in 15 games, placing him third in the NCAA in points per game. The center has excellent vision and is skillful with the puck. When the situation demands it, he’s the kind of player who can force less talented teammates to play above their capabilities and create plays on his own.

It’s been a while since Canada’s WJC roster was this weak. They will need Celebrini to step up and play past his age if they are to win the gold.