Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Brayden Yager will represent Team Canada, while defensemen Emil Pieniniemi and Kalle Kangas will represent Team Finland at the IIHF 2024 World Junior Championship held Dec. 26-Jan. 5 at Scandinavium and Frölundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Yager, 18, was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (14th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Saskatoon, SK native is in his fourth season with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League, tallying 41 points (17G-24A) in 28 games. Yager ranks second on Moose Jaw in points and third in assists and goals.
In 2021-22, the 6-foot, 170-pound forward was named the Canadian Hockey League and WHL's Rookie of the Year after registering 59 points (34G-25A) in 63 games with Moose Jaw. Additionally, in '22-23, the forward won the Brad Norhung Trophy as the WHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player.
Yager has enjoyed success internationally with Team Canada, winning a Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gold Medal in 2023.
Pieniniemi, 18, was drafted by the Penguins in the third round (91st overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Pittsburgh on July 14. This season, the defenseman has appeared in games with Karpat U20 (U20 SM-sarja), Karpat (Liiga) and Hermes (Mestis). Most of his games this season have come with Karpat of Liiga, Finland's highest-level professional league, where he has tallied four assists in 23 games.
The 6-foot-2, 174-pound defenseman has spent parts of the last three seasons with Karpat's junior teams at the U20 and U18 levels, and made his Liiga debut in 2022-23.
Internationally, the Kuopio, Finland native, represented his country at the 2023 World Under-18 Championship. Pieniniemi also skated in five games and won bronze with Finland at the '23 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Kangas, 18, was drafted by the Penguins in the seventh round (223rd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. This season, the defenseman has spent the majority of his season with Jokerit of Mestis, Finland's second-highest professional league, tallying six points (3G-3A) in 22 games. He has also suited up for five games with Jokerit's U20 junior team, scoring one goal.
The 6-foot-4, 198-pound skater is in his first Mestis season with Jokerit. Kangas won a silver medal with Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja) in 2022-23, recording nine points (1G-8A) in 42 games. The defenseman won a silver medal in 2022 with Jokerit U18 (U18 SM-sarja), where he tallied 12 points (2G-10A) in 26 games.
Internationally, the Vantaa, Finland native has represented his native country at the 2023 World Under-18 Championship, and won bronze alongside Pieniniemi at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he tallied two points (1G-1A) in five games.
The trio of Penguins prospects opens the tournament on Dec. 26 with a matchup between Team Canada and Team Finland at 8:30 AM ET. Team Canada's preliminary play continues on Dec. 27 (1:30 PM ET vs. Latvia), Dec. 29 (1:30 PM ET vs. Sweden) and Dec. 31 (1:30 PM ET vs. Germany). Team Finland's preliminary play continues on Dec. 27 (8:30 AM ET vs. Germany), Dec. 29 (8:30 AM ET vs. Latvia) and Dec. 31 (8:30 AM ET vs. Sweden).
