Over the last five years, the Carolina Hurricanes have sent 17 players drafted by the organization to the World Junior Championships. We've already talked about a few, like Nikita Quapp and Jakub Vondras, when discussing the goalies, but there have been several skaters who have stood out on this big stage.
Several of those 17 players are now with other organizations, or, in the case of 2021 draftee Zion Nybeck, had their rights expire without signing. For this piece, I want to focus more on the skaters currently making a name for themselves in the AHL.
The Wolves are enjoying a good start, despite a coaching change earlier this month. Many on the roster have World Juniors experience, including four of the team's top eight scorers. A few have even been amongst the most impactful players for their teams at the tournament. Here's a quick look at some of the Wolves from the last five tournaments.
While Gunler lit the lamp in 2021, Suzuki fought for a medal
It doesn't take a genius to understand that Canada has put together some loaded World Juniors rosters during its history. The 2021 team was no exception. Among them was the Hurricanes' 2019 first-round pick, Ryan Suzuki. While by no means the biggest star on the team, Suzuki found his role and performed well.
In the other group, the Swedes had a pair of Hurricanes draft picks, the aforementioned Nybeck and Noel Gunler. Nybeck had one assist in five games, while Gunler was Sweden's top goal scorer. Gunler found the back of the net four times to lead a team that included future Detroit star Lucas Raymond. Sweden finished third in their group before being ousted by rival Finland in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Suzuki and the Canadians had no issues in the group stage. They outscored their opponents 33-4 to top Group A. Their easy ride continued to the playoffs, with shutout wins over the Czech Republic and Russia to reach the Gold Medal Game. Unfortunately, they were stopped cold by the Americans, losing 2-0 to claim the silver. Suzuki finished with two goals and four points in 2021.
The Hurricanes were poised to make history in 2022 before an outbreak
When the rosters for the 2022 tournament were announced, there were future Hurricanes everywhere. Ten players from the organization were selected to participate, the most in the NHL. Shortly after the tournament began, a COVID-19 outbreak spread among the teams, prompting the IIHF to suspend the tournament after it had already started.
The Hurricanes in the tournament before its cancellation hadn't done a ton, except for Ville Koivunen, who had four points in two games. The 2022 tournament was rescheduled for August due to the pandemic, allowing teams to adjust their rosters. This and Russia's removal from all IIHF events because their invasion of Ukraine brought the number of Hurricanes remaining to four.
While their numbers were smaller, all three of the remaining skaters made their way to the Gold Medal Game. Koivunen never regained his scoring touch, finishing without a point in the official tournament. Aleksi Heimosalmi put up seven points for Finland, including a pair of assists in the quarterfinals and a goal in the championship game, but it wouldn't be enough.
The gold went to Ronan Seeley and Canada. All four of his points were assists, with two of them coming in Canada's quarterfinal victory over Switzerland. Heimosalmi might've scored a goal in the final game, but Seeley and his team were the last ones standing. Canada prevailed with a 3-2 victory in overtime over Finland.
Heimosalmi was back for Finland in 2023. Both he and his team took a step back during this outing. Heimosalmi recorded just two assists, both coming in a group stage loss to the United States. Finland finished second to the US in the group, but they were ousted in the quarterfinals after a 3-2 loss to Sweden.
Unger Sorum's stock rose, while Nadeau was part of unfortunate history
In 2024, the Hurricanes sent two players to the tournament. I've already talked about one, so let's talk about the Chicago Wolves' leading scorer, Felix Unger Sorum. Playing in front of the home crowd, Sweden topped their group, but they were stomped in the Gold Medal Game, 6-2, by the Americans. Unger Sorum put up six points and settled for the silver medal.
In 2025, Unger Sorum returned with gold on the mind, alongside 2024 fifth-round pick Oskar Vuollet. Meanwhile, former Maine standout and first-round pick Bradly Nadeau was trying to help the Canadians squash the rise of the Americans after their 2024 gold. Suffice it to say, things didn't go according to plan for Canada.
Canada's upset loss to Latvia was the biggest story of the tournament. They were then outplayed by the Americans, with Nadeau scoring Canada's only goal in a 4-1 loss. Finishing third in the group, Canada failed to reach the semifinals in consecutive years for the first time after losing to Czechia. Nadeau also scored in that game, becoming the only player on the team with multiple goals.
Meanwhile, Unger Sorum couldn't stop scoring. He tied for second in the tournament in points (10) and was tops in assists (9). Vuollet didn't play much, but he managed to score a goal. Unfortunately, the Swedes couldn't get it done. They lost to Finland in the semifinals before falling in a shootout to Czechia in the Bronze Medal Game, keeping them off the podium despite Unger Sorum's brilliance.