Hagens, Martone, Schaefer among top 2025 NHL Draft prospects to watch at World Juniors

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship is scheduled in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Today, we look at some 2025 NHL Draft-eligible prospects to keep an eye on during the tournament.

James Hagens of the United States, and Porter Martone and Matthew Schaefer of Canada not only are projected top picks in the 2025 NHL Draft but are expected to play significant roles for their teams during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

"It's always such an honor to put your country's logo on your chest and you can't take it for granted," said Hagens, a freshman center with Boston College. "You have to go out there, give it your all and especially seeing that the team went over and won gold last year, you just want to help as much as possible to bring home gold again."

The United States won the 2024 WJC, capping a 7-0-0 run with a 6-2 win against Sweden in the gold-medal game.

Canada, which finished fifth at the 2024 WJC, will join the U.S. in Group A in the preliminary round, along with Finland, Germany and Latvia, with games played at Canadian Tire Centre. Group B consists of Czechia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland, and will play games at TD Place.

"You dream of playing World Juniors since you're a little kid, and to have the opportunity is very exciting," said Martone, who is the captain with Brampton in the Ontario Hockey League. "And you know what? I'm just willing to do anything to hopefully crack the lineup and help the team win a gold medal."

The top four teams in each group will play in the quarterfinals Jan. 2. The semifinals are Jan. 4, and the gold-medal game and bronze-medal game are scheduled to be held Jan. 5 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the U.S., and TSN in Canada.

Here are nine 2025 draft-eligible players to watch during the 2025 WJC (listed alphabetically):

Vojtech Cihar, LW, Czechia

Cihar (6-foot, 175 pounds), a B-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list for December, has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 25 games with Karlovy Vary in Czechia's top professional men's league. The 17-year-old left-handed shot is an excellent skater capable of playing a mature, two-way game.

"He has good straight-away speed and acceleration and first-step quickness," NHL Director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "He's responsible in his defensive play and is ready to eat pucks. He often plays net-front on the power play, has great hands, is active and alert and shares nice passes."

Victor Eklund, RW, Sweden

Eklund will get to do something his older brother and role model, San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, never experienced -- playing for Sweden at the World Junior Championship. Victor Eklund (5-11, 161) is slight in stature but has a good work ethic, a quality he learned from William, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Victor Eklund has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 23 games with Djurgarden in the Sweden's second division.

"He's the guy you can't leave alone in front of the net," Vuorinen said. "Technically he needs to improve his skating, but he has good speed and I like his attitude and willingness to score."

James Hagens, C, United States

A dynamic skater with exceptional playmaking ability, Hagens (5-10, 177) is second for Boston College with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 16 games as the team's top-line center. An A-rated skater on Central Scouting's players to watch list, he's expected to join Boston College linemates Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) to form one of the most dynamic lines in the tournament, particularly on the power play.

"I don't think he has any bad habits, and he plays a mature game," NHL Central Scouting associate director of scouting David Gregory said. "It's like he's been playing college hockey for a long time and not like a freshman. Just the way he skates, thinks and competes puts him in a class that's elite."

Logan Hensler, D, United States

Hensler (6-2, 192), an A-rated defenseman on Central Scouting's players to watch list, plays on the top pair at the University of Wisconsin. The right-shot freshman has seven assists in 17 games, missing one game because of a concussion earlier this season. At Wisconsin, he's been paired Daniel Laatsch, a 22-year-old chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh round (No. 215) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

"I've been working a lot with Wisconsin coach [Mike] Hastings on end-zone defense, getting my bumps, closing that space, and that defense also translates to offense," Hensler said. "Those are the biggest things I've been working on in the film room. Just watching my play, digesting it and going out there and improving on it."

Jack Ivankovic, G, Canada

Ivankovic (5-11, 178) is a C-rated goalie on Central Scouting's players to watch list for December and might not receive much playing time behind Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) and Carson Bjarnason (Philadelphia Flyers), but he did impress at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 0.75 goals-against average, .967 save percentage and one shutout in four games to help Canada win the gold medal. He also helped Canada White win the gold medal at the World Under-17 Championship last season with a 2.41 GAA and .923 save percentage in eight games. Now in his second season with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League, the 17-year-old is 12-7-1 with a 3.49 GAA and .898 save percentage in 21 games.

"He's an excellent competitor and has exceptional quickness," NHL Central Scouting's Al Jensen said. "His mechanics are good, and he's got lightning-quick lateral ability. His competitiveness separates him from other goalies in this draft class and he's strong for his size. He's very efficient in the crease area."

Porter Martone, RW, Canada

The 18-year-old right-handed shot (6-3, 208) was second in OHL scoring with 54 points (21 goals, 33 assists) in 26 games with Brampton before leaving for World Junior selection camp. An A-rated skater on Central Scouting's players to watch list, Martone offers elite hockey sense that enables him to play at pace and produce offensively. He plays a power-forward game and compares his style to NHL forwards Corey Perry and Matthew Tkachuk.

"I like how Porter can play any type of game on the ice, which will translate well at the next level," Central Scouting's Nick Smith said. "He has the elite puck skills and hands to take advantage of the time and space he creates, and he can play physical and will back it up."

Luka Radivojevic, D, Slovakia

The 17-year-old right-shot defenseman (5-10, 165) had two points (one goal, one assist) as the youngest player in the 2024 WJC. He has 10 assists in 19 games with Muskegon of the United States Hockey League, his first season playing in North America after beginning the season playing for Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League. Radivojevic, a C-rated skater on Central Scouting's players to watch list, is an offensive defenseman with good skating, vision and passing.

Benjamin Rautiainen, C, Finland

The 19-year-old left-handed shot (6-0, 174) has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) and has won 51.6 percent of his face-offs in 32 games with Tappara in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league. Rautiainen is a C-rated skater on Central Scouting's players to watch list for December.

"Benjamin has taken considerable steps in the last two years. He is now regularly playing on the men's league team," Vuorinen said. "He is one of the better forwards on the team. An offensively gifted and creative player who makes good passes and sees the ice well. He has outstanding stickhandling ability and wins 1-on-1 [battles] with slick moves."

Matthew Schaefer, D, Canada

Schaefer (6-2, 183), an A-rated defenseman on Central Scouting's players to watch list, has 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists), and eight power-play points (two goals, six assists) in 17 games with Erie of the OHL, despite missing the first nine games of the season recovering from mononucleosis. The 17-year-old left-handed shot is the second-youngest player on Canada's roster, two months older than forward Gavin McKenna, who isn't eligible until the 2026 NHL Draft. Schaefer is an elite skater, can quarterback a power play and will do whatever it takes to win the puck back for his team.

"He knows when to make a simple play, when to block a shot. His puck retrievals are on point, and he can skate his way out of trouble," Smith said.