Five 2023 NHL Draft prospects to watch at men’s World Hockey Championship

This is it: the last major tournament on the NHL Draft calendar.

After the U-18 World Hockey Championship concluded in Switzerland late last month, most top prospects saw their seasons come to an end. But some will have a chance to represent their country once more this season, doing so on perhaps the biggest platform possible.

The men’s World Championship is a big deal in Europe, and Finland and Latvia will be excellent hosts of the annual affair. And for prospect fans, it’s the last chance to see some quality NHL Draft talent before their names are called next month.

It’s a good chance for the game’s young stars to play key minutes, especially with many teams missing NHL-caliber talent. So, here’s a look at the five 2023 NHL Draft prospects worth watching from May 12-28:

Adam Fantilli, C/LW (Canada)

Fantilli is projected to go No. 2 in the NHL Draft, and it’s been a treat following him so closely. Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top male college player, an impressive feat given he was a freshman at Michigan. He’s also been dominant at nearly every tournament with Canada, starting with the Youth Olympic Games moving on to a solid World Junior Championship effort this past winter. This time, he won’t be in Bedard’s shadows. It’s been a mixed bag as to whether top prospects will earn much ice time with Canada, but I’d expect Fantilli to factor in heavily.

Leo Carlsson, C (Sweden)

Carlsson will be one of the first to have their name called at the draft, perhaps even right after Fantilli. The 6-foot-3 forward crushed the U-20 national team competition and has also looked good in limited men’s national team play. He had a pair of assists against Switzerland earlier this month in Euro Hockey Tour play, which shouldn’t be a surprise after his fantastic sophomore campaign with Orebro in the Swedish league. Unlike with Fantilli, who has no experience against pros, this is normal territory for Carlsson, and he’ll play comfortably in the top six.

David Reinbacher, D (Austria)

Reinbacher might be the No. 1 defenseman this year. He thrived against competition in the top league in Switzerland, something very few 18-year-olds have ever managed to do. He has ideal NHL size at 6-foot-2, strong hockey sense and is great at both ends of the ice. Reinbacher should play heavy minutes like he has all season long with the men’s team and might even have the biggest impact of any draft-eligible prospect over the next few weeks.

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, C (Denmark)

Mølgaard is an incredibly underrated prospect. The Danish forward played most of the season in the top Swedish league, putting up seven points in 41 games. Those aren’t Leo Carlsson-esque numbers, but they’re quite impressive for an 18-year-old. He was excellent against his own age group, but this will be the biggest challenge of his career to date. Mølgaard will have a good leader in Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers to learn from.

Petter Vesterheim, C (Norway)

Vesterheim is a late 2004 birthday, making him a first-year eligible this year. Projected to be a late-round pick, he played recently played in some exhibition contests against Sweden but didn’t put up any points. Vesterheim was good against U-20 Swedish competition and was a big reason why Norway advanced to the top division of the World Junior Championship for 2024. Now, after 19 games of experience against pros in the Allsvenskan, this will be a big opportunity for Vesterheim to put his game up in front of NHL scouts.