31. John Gibson, G, United States (2012, 2013)
Morreale — Gibson was a brick wall for the U.S. at the 2013 WJC, finishing as the tournament MVP and its best goaltender. He capped a gold-medal run with 26 saves in a 3-1 win against Sweden in the championship game. Gibson was 5-2-0 with a 1.36 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and one shutout in seven games. His save percentage established a U.S. record (minimum three games), and his goals-against average ranks third, behind Al Montoya in 2004 (1.33) and Rick DiPietro in 2001 (1.33). Gibson allowed two goals on 92 shots in three medal-round games.
32. Vladimir Ruzicka, C, Czechoslovakia (1981, 1982, 1983)
Kimelman — Ruzicka was one of the stars of the early days of the World Juniors, leading Czechoslovakia to the silver medal in 1982 and 1983. His breakout performance came in 1983 when he became the first player to reach 20 points at the World Juniors. His 12 goals were the most in a single tournament to that point, and in 43 years since then, the only player to score more was Naslund with 13 goals in 1993. Ruzicka also scored five goals in five games in 1981 and eight goals in seven games in 1982. His 25 goals in 19 games across three tournaments are second to Bure’s 27 in 21 games.
33. Esa Keskinen, C, Finland (1984, 1985)
Morreale — Keskinen never left Europe to pursue an NHL career but was legendary for Finland at World Juniors. In 1984, he led his country to a silver medal with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in seven games. In 1985, he set a Finland record and led the tournament with 14 assists and was tops among all skaters with 20 points in seven games. He is second on the all-time Finland list with 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in 14 WJC games, four points behind Tikkanen, who played seven more games.
34. Devon Levi, G, Canada (2021)
Kimelman — You’re right, this is a World Junior team, not an NHL team, so Keskinen is a good call. And that’s why for my first goalie I’m going with a player who hasn’t made much of an NHL impact yet but who had one of the greatest World Junior performances ever. Levi had a shutout streak of 148:20 that included back-to-back shutouts of Czechia in the quarterfinals and Russia in the semifinals. His only loss was 2-0 against the U.S. in the gold-medal game, but Levi still was named the tournament’s best goaltender after going 6-1-0 with a 0.75 goals-against average, .964 save percentage and three shutouts in seven games. He’s tied for the most shutouts in a single WJC, and among goalies to play at least four games, he has the lowest GAA and the second highest save percentage.
35. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, United States (2013)
Morreale — “Johnny Hockey” always will be in the hearts and minds of hockey fans, and this pick is in honor of one of the most thrilling, highlight-reel creating forwards we’ve seen. He played a pivotal role for the U.S. at the 2013 WJC, leading the tournament with seven goals and finishing tied for fifth with nine points in seven games on a line with J.T. Miller and Jimmy Vesey. He had two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win against Canada in the semifinals. Gaudreau was named to the WJC All-Star Team and was selected as one of the top three players for the U.S.
36. Olen Zellweger, D, Canada (2022, 2023)
Kimelman — Zellweger was the defensive leader on back-to-back gold-medal teams at the 2022 and 2023 WJC, with a combined 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 14 games. In 2022 he led defensemen and was third among all players with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in seven games, led Canada with an average ice time of 20:31 per game, was a plus-14 and was voted a spot on the tournament all-star team. In 2023 he had six assists in seven games and led Canada with an average ice time of 23:28 per game.
37. Jacob Trouba, D, United States (2012, 2013)
Morreale — Trouba led defensemen in goals (four) and points (nine) in the 2013 WJC, when he was named the tournament’s top defenseman and earned a spot on the WJC All-Star Team in a gold medal-winning performance for the U.S. He, Gibson and Gaudreau were voted by the U.S. coaches as the top three players for the team in the tournament. Defensively, Trouba’s leadership, toughness and smarts along the blue line played a huge part in the U.S. allowing nine goals in seven games.
38. Cale Makar, D, Canada (2018)
Kimelman — Makar played in the World Juniors once, but he made a bit of history during his time in the spotlight. He scored the first outdoor goal in WJC history, a first-period power-play goal against the United States on New Year’s Eve at New Era Field — now Highmark Stadium — home of the Buffalo Bills. His three goals in seven games led defensemen and his eight points tied for the lead. He earned a spot on tournament all-star team as Canada won gold.
39. Reijo Ruotsalainen, D, Finland (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
Morreale — I’m going old school for my final pick. Ruotsalainen was a major contributor to Finland’s national junior team during a transitional era for Finnish hockey. He represented his country at four straight tournaments, starting as a 16-year-old in 1977 with five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games. He played a major part in Finland’s first medal (silver) in tournament history in 1980, with seven points (four goals, three assists) in five games. He was named the tournament’s best defenseman and was voted onto the WJC All-Star Team. His nine goals in 24 games across four tournaments are the most ever by a defenseman at the WJC, and his 21 points are second to Ellis (25).
40. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Russia (2012, 2013, 2014)
Kimelman — While he never won gold, three medals in three tournaments (2012 silver, 2013 bronze, 2014 bronze) is pretty strong, which is why Vasilevskiy is my final pick. His .946 save percentage is the best all-time and his 10 wins and three shutouts are tied for second. He has a 1.89 GAA that is eighth, but the seven goalies ahead of him played between two and five games fewer than Vasilevskiy’s 15. He began his WJC experience with a 163:17 shutout streak in his first three games at the 2012 tournament, and he capped it with 30 saves in a 2-1 win against Canada in the bronze-medal game in 2014.
