Previewing the Goaltending for the 2025 World Junior Championships
This season at Scouching we’re extremely excited to expand our team a little bit, bringing Tony Ferrari in on the Game Tape side of things over on YouTube, and over here on the blog we’re welcoming Scouching Discord and YouTube Chat superstar David Phillips. Unusually, David actually wants to contribute positively to the project and fill in a little bit of a gap with our coverage, diving into goaltenders for the 2025 NHL Draft and international tournaments. To start off his guest series, he took the time to look at the likely goaltenders that will be (or should be) minding the nets for each respective team. Sometimes goaltending can carry you to a medal, so perhaps some of these names are going to be the ones on our minds at the most glorious time of the year. We’ve organized this as if it were a power ranking, working from the likely top goaltending group down to the bottom.
Thanks so, so much to David for the hard work he’s put into this and hopping onboard. I hope you learn plenty like I have! Give him a follow over on X, and expect some more from him in the future!
#1 - Team U.S.A.: Trey Augustine - Michigan State University (NCAA)
2023 41st Overall - Detroit Red Wings
There really is no other choice for the Americans at the World Juniors. Augustine has started for the Americans at the last two World Junior tournaments, as well as starting for the Men’s World Championship last season. Augustine is just very simply put the easiest choice on this list.
Trey Augustine has a natural gift of making goaltending look easy. He does this by having incredible tracking, which he utilizes to follow pucks into his glove and blocker with ease. Augustine also shows incredible technical habits, and outstanding footwork. He moves around the crease with precision and carves into the ice to generate power. Augustine does have a tendency to cheat towards his glove hand when he’s near his blocker side post, and while he usually makes up for it by sliding into his blocker save it can bite him for a GA. Additionally, I think Augustine plays super aggressive and I’m not sure if he will be able to get away with playing that aggressive at the World Juniors.
Some other goalies to keep an eye on for the Americans include Sam Hillebrandt, who was the team’s 3rd goalie at last year’s tournament and Kings draft pick Hampton Slukynsky from Western Michigan University.
#2 - Team Czechia: Michael Hrabal - UMass-Amherst (NCAA)
2023 38th Overall - Utah Hockey Club
Towering at 6’6”, Hrabal should return as the starter for a relatively strong Czech team. Hrabal recorded a 0.877 SV% through 7 games as the starter last world juniors, and should be looking towards improving those numbers and propelling Czechia to the medal rounds.
What makes Hrabal an effective goaltender is his incredibly rare blend of frame and speed. Most of the goalies who are Hrabal’s size don’t move around the crease with the ease and pace that Hrabal can pull off. Hrabal does a great job of digging his blade into the ice and activating his thighs to push off with as much strength as he can, and stops on a dime when he arrives at his new location. I do have concerns about Hrabal’s tracking ability though, as he can have a tendency to react late to changes in the play because he doesn’t get his eyes on the puck particularly well.
Some other goalies who could end up starting for the Czechs include Kometa Brno’s Jan Kavan, and Adam Dybal from Tri-City in the USHL.
#3 - Team Sweden: Melker Thelin - IF Björklöven (HockeyAllsvenskan)
2023 134th Overall - Utah Hockey Club
Melker Thelin was a goalie I liked in his draft year, and I thought he was a pretty under-the-radar option in terms of goalies for the 2023 class. Thelin has plenty of pro experience, including 41 games split between the HockeyAllsvenskan and HockeyEttan, as well as 1 game of SHL experience.
Thelin’s game is primarily based around his incredible ability to track the puck. He sees it through traffic and follows the puck around the ice incredibly well. Thelin combines his excellent puck tracking capabilities with top-drawer movement technique and speed that results in him beating the puck to shot locations consistently. Thelin has a narrow stance, which allows him to drive across the crease with more power from his standing stance. Thelin does have some trouble with his play on the post though. I found Thelin to cheat a bit to the inside on shots from sharp angles, and it allows shooters to find the top of the net over his shoulder on the post side of the net.
Other goalies to keep an eye on for the Swedes would be Noah Erliden from the Erie Otters and Leksand’s Marcus Gidlöf, who is an Islanders draft pick from 2024.
#4 - Team Finland: Eemil Vinni - HIFK U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
2024 64th Overall - Edmonton Oilers
Eemil Vinni brings over 39 professional games of experience to the Finnish crease, after starting for JoKP in the Mestis during his draft year last season. Vinni was rostered as the 3rd goalie for Finland at last year’s tournament, but this time around I think Vinni will take over the crease.
Vinni is an extremely athletic and aggressive goalie who will stop at nothing to make a save. He propels himself towards shooters, cutting down the angle as much as he can and making quick reactive saves. Vinni does a really good job of moving around the and challenging pucks because of his no-quit attitude that he brings to every game. Vinni does have an issue with his blocker side though I found, as he isn't consistent getting his blocker onto the puck to effectively deflect it into the corner. Vinni’s aggressive style can also come to his detriment when threats sneak up on the back door, resulting in wide open attempts for opponents.
A strong start in the Liiga for 06-born Petteri Rimpinen for Kiekko-Espoo, as well as TPS’ Noa Vali, who is also a returnee, could both contend for the starting role.
#5 - Team Canada: Scott Ratzlaff - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
2023 141st Overall - Buffalo Sabres
Predicting Canada’s starter was a tough decision, but I think the combination of Scott Ratzlaff being the 3rd goalie at last year’s tournament and his impressive performance with the U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup two years ago would give him the nod for the Canadians. Ratzlaff has been solid in his (at the time of writing this) 121 career WHL games that he has maintained a respectable 0.907 SV%, all with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Ratzlaff’s claim to fame is his incredible movement in the crease. Not only is Ratzlaff among the fastest goalie prospects around, but he does so with impeccable control. His ability to slide around the crease is truly awe-inspiring and he does a great job of catching his edges and adjusting his feet to better suit his next movement or save. Ratzlaff also shows strong mechanics following the common eyes-hands-legs approach moving in a nearly robotic fashion that makes him very effective with high pressure situations. Ratzlaff does have a rough patch with regards to his ability to track pucks into his save process, and occasionally drops his hands early resulting in opening up some space up high for shooters
While Ratzlaff is my prediction for Canada’s starter, I wouldn’t neglect guys like 2025 eligible Josh Ravensbergen and Flyers’ prospect Carson Bjarnason to take the reins for the Canadians in this year’s rendition of the world juniors.
#6 - Team Slovakia: Samuel Urban - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
2025 Eligible (DY+2 Re-Entry)
Samuel Urban is the clear favourite for the Slovak starter job. The Sioux City Musketeer has provided quality performances in the USHL, and showed he could be trusted with the crease at the 2023 World Under U18 Championships, where he posted a respectable 0.908 SV%.
Urban is a quick moving goalie with good footwork that he utilizes to maximize his distance covered in any given movement. His ability to stretch out and cover the bottom half of the net is pretty good, and Urban does have good tracking habits on his saves. His technicality is there as well, with good transitions from butterfly to standing and in-and-out of his post. Urban is a bit below the pack with regards to his ability to read plays, but his technical framework and speed often make up for this fault.
Fargo’s Damian Slávik and the South Shore Kings’ Lukáš Fürsten could also contend for this starting role, and are worth keeping an eye on should they be selected to the tournament roster for the Slovaks.
#7 - Team Latvia: Linards Feldbergs - Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
2025 Eligible (DY+2 Re-Entry)
Linards Feldbergs, who came off of an Optibet Hokeja Liga finals MVP before making the move to the QMJHL, is my pick for this year’s Latvian starter. Feldbergs has represented Latvia 3 times in the past, once in the World Juniors, and twice at the World U18s.
Feldbergs moves around the crease exceptionally well and it stems from his high-end athleticism. His hip flexibility is astounding, and Feldbergs uses this to keep his pads along the ice when sliding around the crease, ensuring no pucks sneak through along the ice. Feldbergs is also a quick mover around the crease, zipping across the crease with emphasis on getting to the next save location in a timely manner. The fluidity and speed of Feldbergs’ game makes him a goalie who can be tough to beat when he’s on his game, but he does have a bit of an inclination to lose his crease and posts during his movements which can result in goals against from rebounds.
Montréal draft pick Mikus Vecvanags and World Juniors returnee Aksels Ozols could both make arguments for taking the crease in this year’s World Juniors for the Latvians.
#8 - Team Switzerland: Ewan Huet - Regina Pats (WHL)
2025 Eligible (DY+2 Re-Entry)
Ewan Huet of the Regina Pats should make a return to the Swiss Under-20 team after playing in one game at last year’s tournament. Perhaps playing for Regina has prepared the netminder for the expected onslaught of shots against in the World Juniors for the Swiss, as he faces well over 30 shots regularly in the WHL.
Huet’s goalie style involves a very wide stance to cover the lower half of the net effectively. He flares out his legs well, and keeps his structure when he drops to the butterfly showcasing decent hip flexibility to do so. Huet also does a good job of reading the game and analyzing threats near the net. He uses his shoulder checks in opportune moments and adjusts his positioning accordingly to make the next save as easy as he can. Huet does have issues with losing his posts and crease, and his post seal isn’t very good. Huet leaves lots of open net in the top half when in his butterfly, and it’ll be interesting to see how he does at the World Juniors (should he be attending).
Some alternatives for the Swiss starting role include Sharks’ prospect Christian Kirsch and 2025-eligible Elijah Neuenschwander, who are both 2006 born goalies.
#9 - Team Kazakhstan: Vladimir Nikitin - Snezhnye Barsy Astana (MHL)
2023 207th Overall - Ottawa Senators
One of the easier picks for this article, as the Senators draft pick became the first Kazakh goalie to be selected since 1994 (Vitaly Yeremeyev). Nikitin started at last year’s tournament for the Kazakhs, and posted an impressive 0.944 SV% to get his team promoted to this year’s World Juniors tournament.
Nikitin is huge. The 6’5” frame is used quite well to cover the net too, as he has a wide stance and does a good job of challenging shooters giving them nothing to look at. Nikitin is also an incredible athlete. When I watch Nikitin, there are countless moments where my own hips hurt from seeing the maneuvers that Nikitin pulls off. Nikitin’s athleticism and size make him a fun goalie to watch, but the tracking is still an area of concern. He also doesn’t position himself square to the shooter very well, getting beat by shots simply because he is off-angle far too often.
We could see goalies such as Mikhaylov Akademiya’s Vladimir Istomin or Taifun’s Ruslan Kakenov challenge for the crease, but I think it’s pretty much 100% guaranteed that we’ll see Nikitin get the nod on day 1 for the Kazakhs.
#10 - Team Germany: Nico Pertuch - Ravensburg Towerstars (DEL2)
2025 Eligible (DY+2 Re-Entry)
Pertuch, who got the nod for the Germans at his age group’s U18 World Championships is my pick for the U20 team this season. He’s played pretty well internationally for the Germans, and also was selected to the team as the 3rd goalie for last year’s World Junior’s.
Pertuch’s goaltending style is as close as I think it could get to being a ‘meat and potatoes’ goaltender. He is positionally sound, emphasized by countless chest saves. While these chest saves may be a result of lower quality shots against, it still is a good sign that Pertuch is able to smother the pucks with his chest. Pertuch also does a good job of keeping rebounds out of dangerous areas. Pertuch smothers everything into his chest by bringing his glove hand over to ensure the puck doesn’t punch out, and also pounces on loose pucks in the crease area. An area of improvement that I’ll be monitoring at the World Juniors (should he be there) is with regards to how he moves around the crease. As it stands, Pertuch is a very rigid mover and it seems like he is fighting against himself to move to the next location. His body-weight shift errors could be a result of this, as he doesn’t use his body to create momentum with his slides very well.
Some other goalies who could end up starting for this German squad include Valentin Ankirchner from the Red Bull Hockey program, and the 6’6” behemoth all the way from the GOJHL, Lennart Neiße.
