European notebook: NHL-affiliated prospects heading to World Junior Championships

Future NHL stars are developing in Europe this season. Every other week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects outside of North America.

This week, a look at how some of the European-born prospects, in alphabetical order, set to participate in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship are faring.

The World Junior tournament, in Minnesota, runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. It will be broadcast by NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.

Victor Eklund, Djurgardens IF (SHL), Sweden

The 19-year-old has 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) this season for Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Hockey League, Sweden's top men's professional league. He had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest professional league in Sweden, in 2024-25.

Eklund, selected with the No. 16 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, had six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and won bronze with Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, scoring six points (four goals, two assists).

Anton Frondell, Djurgardens IF (SHL), Sweden

The 18-year-old, selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the No. 3 pick in 2025, has 15 points (10 goals, five assists) in 25 games with Djurgarden. He is on pace for 20 goals in 49 games, and would become the fourth 18-year-old in league history to reach that total, joining Tomas Sandstrom (23 goals, 1982-83), Markus Naslund (22 goals, 1991-92) and Daniel Sedin (21 goals, 1998-99).

Frondell won silver with Sweden at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

Milton Gastrin, MoDo Hockey (HockeyAllsvenskan), Sweden

The 18-year-old has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 25 games with MoDo in HockeyAllsvenskan this season, the most among drafted teenagers in the league and second most amongst all under-21 players behind undrafted defenseman Oliver Sjostrom.

Gastrin, who has captained Sweden at the 2025 World Under-18 Championship, the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, was selected in the second round (No. 37) in 2025 by the Washington Capitals. He had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the U-18 tournament last season.

Ludvig Johnson, HC Fribourg-Gotteron (NL), Switzerland

The 19-year-old, selected in the sixth round (No. 174) in 2025 by the Utah Mammoth, has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 30 games for HC Fribourg-Gotteron, which leads NL, the top men’s professional league in Switzerland, in scoring amongst under-21 defensemen.

Johnson represented Switzerland at the 2025 World Juniors, and had two points (one goal, one assist) in five games. He also played for Switzerland at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

Aron Kiviharju, HIFK (Liiga), Finland

The 19-year-old, who was selected in the fourth round (No. 122) in 2024 by the Minnesota Wild, has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 24 games for HIFK in Liiga, Finland’s top men's professional league, after having 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 52 games in 2024-25.

Kiviharju captained Finland to silver at the 2025 World Juniors, where he had three assists in seven games.

Mads Kongsbak Klyvo, Frolunda HC (U20 Nationell), Denmark

The 18-year-old, selected in the fourth round (No. 112) of the 2025 draft by the Florida Panthers, has yet to play this season because of injury but will return at the 2026 World Juniors. He had 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) with Frolunda in J20 Nationell in 2024-25.

Kongsbak Klyvo helped Denmark earn promotion to the main group at the 2026 World Juniors; he had three assists in five games at the 2025 World Juniors Division 1A, securing a spot for his country this year.

Elijah Neuenschwander, EHC Chur (SL), Switzerland

The 19-year-old has a 5-3-0 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in eight appearances on a loan with EHC Chur in the Swiss League, the second-highest professional league in Switzerland, this season.

Neuenschwander, who was picked in the fourth round (No. 104) by the Anaheim Ducks in 2025, had an 0-3-0 record with a 5.17 GAA and .817 save percentage in three games at the 2025 World Juniors.

Petteri Rimpinen, Kiekko-Espoo (Liiga), Finland

The 19-year-old continues to be one of the busiest goalies in Liiga this season, with his 23 games played tied for third in the league, the top men's professional level in Finland. He has an 8-9-6 record with a 2.79 GAA and .894 save percentage. His goals-against average and save percentage are the second-best for under-23 goalies in Liiga.

Rimpinen, who was selected in the fifth round (No. 152) by the Los Angeles Kings in 2025, was one of Finland’s top three players at the 2025 World Juniors, helping it to silver. He had a 5-2-0 record with a 2.34 GAA and .933 save percentage in seven games and was named the tournament’s top goaltender and to the media all-star team.

Joona Saarelainen, KalPa (Liiga), Finland

The 19-year-old center, selected in the fifth round (No. 149) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2024 draft, has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 27 games with KalPa in Liiga this season.

Saarelainen will be returning to the World Juniors for a second straight year. He had one assist in seven games when Finland won silver in 2025. He’s previously won bronze with Finland at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and again at the World Under-17 Championship, each in 2022.

Petr Sikora, HC Ocelari Trinec (Czechia), Czechia

The 19-year-old center has six points (two goals, four assists) in 12 games with HC Ocelari Trinec in Czech Extraliga, Czechia’s top men’s professional league, fourth-most in the league among U-20 scorers.

Sikora, selected in the sixth round (No. 178) by the Capitals in the 2024 draft, previously won silver at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and bronze at the 2025 World Juniors, where he was named a top-three player for Czechia after scoring seven points (four goals, three assists) in seven games.

Michal Svrcek, Brynas IF (SHL), Slovakia

The 18-year-old forward, selected in the fourth round (No. 119) of the 2025 draft by the Detroit Red Wings, has played at three different levels in Sweden this season. He is without a point at the professional level, skating in 12 games with Brynas and an additional six games on loan to Vasteras in HockeyAllsvenskan. In U20 Nationell, Sweden’s top junior league, he has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 19 games.

Svrcek will be making his World Juniors debut but has represented Slovakia twice at the U-18 World Championship; he was an alternate captain with four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games at the 2025 tournament.