World Juniors 2025 Recap: Prospect Risers & Fallers After Sweden's Gold

The World Juniors have come and gone. Sweden finally conquered their medal round demons to bring him the Gold Medal. A feisty and underrated Czech group won Silver, while Canada took the Bronze. The United States, the two-time defending champions, finished fifth. This month's update will feature a handful of players who either shone or really struggled during the tournament, in addition to some other notable needle movers in the prospect world.

(Note: All stats as of Wednesday, January 21st)

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Breakout Performance Prospects Making Moves After World Juniors

Alexander Zharovsky (RW, MTL): Zharovsky has been arguably the biggest riser in the prospect world thus far this season. The 18-year-old has played the entire year with Salavat Yulaev of the KHL, posting 13 goals and 35 points in 40 games. They are hysterical numbers for a 6-foot-1 kid listed at roughly 165 pounds. A talented all-around offensive player, Zharovsky would have been the player I was looking forward to seeing the most had Russia been allowed to submit a team to the World Juniors. Originally the No. 34 overall selection by the Canadiens this past June, Zharovsky would almost certainly go in the lottery if the draft were held today.

Roman Kantserov (RW, CHI): Kantserov's true KHL breakout came last year, but he's taken things to even greater heights this season. He has 27 goals (and 50 points) in 44 games for Magnitogorsk, four more tallies than any other player in the league. It's a bunch of above-average offensive skills across the board, other than the fact that Kantserov is 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds. He won't turn 22 years of age until September, and the 2023 second-rounder (44th overall) could conceivably be in the Chicago lineup in the fall with his KHL contract reportedly up at the end of the season. 

Vojtech Cihar (LW, LA): Cihar would have been my choice for World Junior MVP following a four-goal, dozen-point performance in seven games for the Czechs. He was a difference maker every time he was on the ice and appeared to carry his team in short spurts. The increased offense against the top players in his age group was an extremely welcome sign, as was the fact that he left his home country to join WHL Kelowna following the tournament. Cihar has five assists in his first five games with the Rockets. When you combine the work ethic and skill, the Kings have a highly intriguing prospect on their hands.

Ryan Ufko (D, NSH): Allow me to start this brief blurb by saying I've been an Ufko supporter from the start. His hockey sense is exceptional, and he rarely makes a mistake, with the puck or without it, in all three zones. In his second professional season with Milwaukee, Ufko currently leads all AHL defensemen in scoring with nine goals and 37 points in 35 games. He reminds me of Adam Fox, a guy who isn't going to overwhelm you with skill or athleticism but still finds a way to consistently make a positive impact on the ice. I think Ufko, a fourth-rounder in 2021, is ready for full-time NHL duty.

Artyom Gonchar (D, NYR): I remember watching Gonchar in a pair of prospect games against the Flyers prior to training camp, and he was the worst player on either team, by far. Fast forward a handful of months, and he has turned into one of the better rookies in the OHL despite playing for one of the worst teams. In 41 games for Sudbury, Gonchar has 10 goals and 32 points. He's light-years away from being a finished product, and his defensive zone play needs major work, but he looks like a legitimate prospect in his first season in North America. A good sign for the Rangers, considering most everyone thought Gonchar was a reach at No. 89 overall in the 2025 draft. 

Key Fallers Disappointing Performances at World Juniors

Logan Hensler (D, OTT): Hensler's play at the World Junior was universally panned, and there's a case to be made that he was the most disappointing player in the entire tournament. A returnee for the United States, the Americans were looking for someone, anyone, to take the pressure off No. 1 defenseman Cole Hutson, and Hensler wasn't able to help in the slightest. He appeared to lose the trust of the coaching staff, which is a terrible sign considering he also has taken a step backwards in his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin despite having 11 points in 19 games. I have more questions than ever about what kind of player he may potentially be at the NHL level.

Liam Greentree (RW, LA): Team Canada's coaching staff is more to blame for Greentree's inclusion in the "fallers" category than Greentree himself. The 2024 No. 26 overall pick was named to the Canadian roster and then totally shelved after literally a handful of minutes. In some ways, I get it. Greentree has heavy feet and has nothing approaching separational speed. Still, he has good hands and is an asset with the man advantage, although he was not talented enough to earn power-play time on what is essentially an All-Star team. He's still averaging north of a point-per-game (18 goals, 37 points in 28 games) for OHL Windsor, although he's light years off the scoring pace he set a year ago (49 goals, 119 points in 64 games). It was very much a mixed-bag tournament for the Kings' prospects.

Jett Luchanko (C, PHI): Throughout the draft process back in 2024, I had Luchanko pegged as a "high-floor, bottom-six guy," and I thought the Flyers clearly reached for him at No. 13 overall. 18-plus months later, the floor might not be quite as high as I originally thought, but I'm more confident than ever Luchanko is simply a future depth piece for Philly. In 22 OHL games this season, split evenly between Guelph and a loaded Brantford club, Luchanko has five goals and 28 points. He skates well and plays hard, but every single time I watch him play, he struggles to create offense on his ow,n and his finishing around the net is mediocre. I'm not writing off a 19-year-old with Luchanko's pedigree, but something has to change here in order for there to be any sort of upside moving forward.