McKenna to Martone: 10 players to watch at world junior hockey championship

The world junior hockey championship has produced memorable moments and breathtaking performances.

This year's tournament in Ottawa should offer the same level of entertainment as the next generation of stars skate into the showcase event's spotlight.

The Canadian Press looks at some of the players to watch in the nation's capital when the annual under-20 event gets going Thursday.

The 17-year-old forward from Whitehorse - his birthday was last week -- is projected as the No. 1 selection at the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna, who plays for the Medicine Hat Tigers, leads the Western Hockey League with 60 points in 30 games this season.

He will be looking to follow in the footsteps of recent underage Canadian world junior standouts Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini after also helping his country win gold at the under-18 world championship and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The freshman forward out of Boston College is in the conversation as the potential top pick at the upcoming NHL draft in June. Hagens has 20 points across 16 games in the NCAA so far in 2024-25. The 18-year-old will be relied on for offence as the Americans look to go back-to-back after winning last year's tournament in Sweden

The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is on a 56-game point streak in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights. Cowan looks set to start on the host country's top line alongside Callum Ritchie and Bradly Nadeau after playing a supporting role at the 2024 event when Canada finished a disappointing fifth.

The 19-year-old from Mount Brydges, Ont., who has 28 points in 20 games with London, got a long look at Leafs training camp in the fall before being returned to junior.

The 17-year-old defenceman from Hamilton is another player in the mix