Top 10 drafted players to watch at World Juniors

The 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship will give NHL teams a glimpse of how some of their top prospects are developing.
The elite under-20 tournament, which will be played Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 at KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo and includes an outdoor game between the United States and Canada at New Era Field, home of the Buffalo Bills, will feature dozens of players selected in the 2016 and 2017 NHL Draft.

The defending champion United States is in Group A, along with Canada, Finland, Slovakia and Denmark. Group B consists of Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Belarus.
All 31 NHL teams will have at least one player skating for one of the 10 countries; here are 10 drafted players to keep a close eye on during the tournament:
Carter Hart, G, Canada (Philadelphia Flyers):Hart, 19, will likely be Canada's starter for the second straight year, after helping them win the silver medal in 2017. A second-round pick (No. 48) in the 2016 draft, Hart has been the top goaltender in the Western Hockey League with Everett the past two seasons, and had a streak of four straight WHL goalie of the week awards ended this season because he was at Canada's final WJC evaluation camp. In 17 games this season he leads the WHL in goals-against average (1.32), save percentage (.961) and shutouts (five).
Miro Heiskanen, D, Finland (Dallas Stars):The No. 3 pick of the 2017 draft, Heiskanen, 18, recovered from a concussion sustained in September and has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 20 games with HIFK in Liiga in Finland. He could be one of five first-round NHL draft picks on Finland's defense, along with Olli Juolevi (Vancouver Canucks, No. 5, 2016), Juuso Valimaki (Calgary Flames, No. 16, 2017), Urho Vaakanainen (Boston Bruins, No. 18, 2017) and Henri Jokiharju (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 29, 2017).

Klim Kostin, C, Russia (St. Louis Blues):The No. 31 pick of the 2017 draft has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 26 games with San Antonio, the Blues' American Hockey League affiliate. At 18 he's the second-youngest player in the AHL; New York Rangers prospect Filip Chytil is four months older. A season-ending shoulder injury sustained in December 2016 kept him out of the 2017 WJC.
Timothy Liljegren, D, Sweden (Toronto Maple Leafs): Like Kostin, the No. 17 pick of the 2017 draft is playing for Toronton in the AHL as an 18-year-old, and is the league's youngest defenseman. In 17 games, he has nine points (one goal, eight assists). Also like Kostin, he would have played in the 2017 WJC but was recovering from having mononucleosis in September. His playing and experience against men in the AHL and the Swedish Hockey League should make him one of the better defensemen in the tournament.
Victor Mete, D, Canada (Montreal Canadiens):Mete, a fourth-round pick (No. 100) in the 2016 draft, was a surprise addition to the Canadiens' season-opening roster and was paired with Shea Weber. He had four points and averaged 14:52 of ice time in 27 NHL games when he was released for Canada's World Junior evaluation camp. The experience Mete, 19, gained in the NHL should give Canada a dependable defensive piece.

Casey Mittelstadt, C, United States (Buffalo Sabres): The No. 8 pick of the 2017 draft will play his first meaningful games in his future NHL city. He's fourth among NCAA Division I freshmen with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 19 games at the University of Minnesota. Mittelstadt, 19, played left wing on the top U.S. line during the World Junior Summer Showcase, but played center and wing during the final evaluation camp, and could be in both spots during the tournament.
Jake Oettinger, G, United States (Dallas Stars): After being the No. 3 goalie for the U.S. at the 2017 WJC, Oettinger, the No. 26 pick of the 2017 draft, is in line to be the starter this year. In 17 games as a freshman at Boston University, Oettinger, 19, is 7-9-1 with a 2.91 GAA and .902 save percentage.
Sam Steel, C, Canada (Anaheim Ducks):The No. 30 pick of the 2016 draft was a surprise cut by Canada for last year's tournament. He responded by returning to Regina of the WHL and leading the league with 131 points (50 goals, 81 assists) in 66 games. Steel, 19, likely will be the No. 1 center this year and will be counted on to be an offensive driver. This season with Regina he has 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 27 games.

Eeli Tolvanen, RW, Finland (Nashville Predators): The No. 30 pick of the 2017 draft has excelled this season with Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League. The 18-year-old forward is tied for fourth in the KHL with 17 goals in 39 games, and leads Jokerit with 32 points. Tolvanen tied for the scoring lead for Finland at the 2017 WJC with six points (two goals, four assists) in six games and will be counted on again to drive the offense for a team looking to make a big jump after needing to survive the relegation round last year.
Kailer Yamamoto, RW, United States (Edmonton Oilers):The No. 22 pick of the 2017 draft had three assists in nine games with the Oilers at the start of the season, and saw time on a line with center Connor McDavid. He has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 13 games since being returned to Spokane of the WHL. Yamamoto, 19, will play on one of the top U.S. lines at the tournament, potentially reuniting with Mittelstadt and center Logan Brown (Ottawa Senators), a group that was dominant at the World Junior Summer Showcase and for the U.S. at the 2016 IIHF World Under-18 Championship when they combined for 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) and Yamamoto tied for the tournament lead with seven goals.