When most people think of hockey, they probably think of the NHL, and most associate summertime hockey with the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Many hockey fans know that the summer has more to offer than just the playoffs. Every year, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) hosts the World Junior Summer Showcase. This event is an evaluation of athletes hoping to make their respective national teams for the World Junior Hockey Championship that is held starting in December.
This year, teams filled with the next generation of talent from the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland all took to the ice to show scouts that they have what it takes to shine on the world stage. Here are some highlights from this year’s summer showcase.
United States: Blue Team & White Team
Though the USA’s teams were filled with exceptional talent this year, one stood out in particular: goaltender Trey Augustine. Augustine, who just finished his freshman year at Michigan State University, is most likely going to make his third World Juniors team.
He played an instrumental role in Team USA’s success at the 2024 World Junior Championship earlier this year, with his 24 saves and 0.936 save percentage in the gold medal game keeping the US well ahead of their rivals Sweden in a 6-2 win. Should he make the team again, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Augustine is probably the best in his position out of all the teams competing. Being a veteran on the World Junior stage, Augustine knows that the work starts now.
“We’re here to go win and it obviously starts now and we’re going to keep building,” Augustine said during an interview with NHL writer Mike Morreale after the fifth day of the showcase.
And winning is exactly what the US plans to do. Along with Augustine in the net, familiar faces Ryan Leonard, Oliver Moore, and Gabe Perreault were out on the ice dominating during the showcase scrimmages. After watching their talented prospect pool at the Summer Showcase, the USA definitely has enough depth to win them another gold come December.
Sweden
Just because the USA has the potential to repeat does not mean Sweden should be left out of the question. As mentioned, Sweden was beaten by the USA at the World Junior Championships earlier this year. Coming into the Summer Showcase with some superstar prospects, Sweden has shown that they will be tough to beat.
Otto Stenburg, who was drafted 25th overall in 2023 by the St. Louis Bluesand plays for Frolunda HC, was one of the standouts for Sweden. In the showcase, he played on the top line as a left winger, where he showed off his creative play making and proved that he is a well rounded and dynamic center–his usual position.
Besides veterans, Sweden’s roster also has several draft candidates, including Victor Eklund. Though Eklund is the youngest on Sweden’s roster at 17, he is using the Summer Showcase as a good opportunity to impress scouts and come one step closer to making his NHL dreams come true.
“It's a good opportunity to show myself,” Eklund said in his interview with NHL’s Morreale.
With how well they played, both Sweden’s more experienced players and younger players impressed this year.
Canada
When team Canada showed up to the Summer Showcase with a roster that featured 17 first round draft picks according to FloHockey, it immediately became known that they are clearly looking to bring back their dominance on the junior circuit. For instance, from this year’s draft, Canada had the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 14th, and 24th overall picks on their squad.
With so many first round picks, Canada isn’t using the Summer Showcase just to look for their World Junior team. For example, Easton Cowan, who was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023 and is one of their top prospects, used the Summer Showcase as a chance to prove that he is ready to play in the NHL this fall. Being one of the older players representing team Canada this summer, he also used the Summer Showcase as a chance to show how he has matured in the past year since he got drafted.
“I think I have a lot of stuff under my belt to help me be a better leader this year, be someone the younger guys can ask, look up to a bit. I’m just really excited to get back here, put on that Canada jersey, whether it's a practice jersey or a game jersey, it’s still an unreal feeling,” Cowan told reporters from TSN. By setting an example, Cowan and his older teammates are hoping to lead the younger players to a World Juniors gold in December.
Finland
Last but certainly not least was Finland, whose team included a diverse group of talent from leagues all over the country. Many of the Finnish players used the Summer Showcase as a chance to impress others and improve their skills. For example, New Jersey Devils prospect Kasper Pikkarainen, who is playing for the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels this season, used the Summer Showcase as a chance to adjust to the North American style of hockey.
Pikkarainen had a roller coaster of a year, playing in three different leagues in Finland from the TPS U-18 league to the Liiga, which is Finland’s highest level professional league. Though playing at all levels required quite a bit of adjusting, he feels like it definitely helped him improve and showed him what he needed to work on before coming to play in the WHL.
“I want to work on my skating…the game is faster in North America so I think my skating is one thing I need to improve,” Pikkarainen told Morreale in his interview. “When I’m playing my best, I’m hitting and making plays with the puck.”
The Summer Showcase definitely gave team Finland the environment they needed to shoot the puck and soak up a different style of hockey.
Whether these teams came to the Summer Showcase to show their dominance or to gain experience, it was memorable to watch the next generation of hockey players take to the ice this past week. It will be exciting to see who these countries choose for their World Juniors rosters in December.
Edited by Emma Habel
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