The IIHF World Junior Championship Division 1 Group A runs Monday, Dec. 9 until Sunday, Dec. 15 in Bled, Slovenia and Norway, with three players that have been drafted by NHL teams is the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament over Hungary, Denmark, Austria, France and host Slovenia.

If the Norwegians do so, they will play in next year’s World Junior Championship in Minnesota, but they will do so without their two best players from this year. Defenseman Stian Solberg and winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygård – first-round picks in 2023 by the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, respectively – were both born in 2005 and are therefore in their last year of eligibility for international U-20 hockey. Defenseman Ludvig Lafton – Utah HC’s sixth-round pick in 2024 – was born in 2006 and has another year of eligibility.

As is usually the case, most of the Norwegian team plays in Sweden but only Solberg and Brandsegg-Nygård play regularly in the SHL, for Färjestad and Skellefteå, respectively.

“We are looking forward to an interesting World Championship in Slovenia,” said Norwegian coach Christopher Nylund. “I think Denmark will be the toughest opponent, but we will focus on one game at a time and make sure we have the most points when the tournament is over.”

The Norwegians will face Denmark in its fourth game on Friday. The Danes have Seattle Kraken prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, a center who plays in Sweden for HV71 and is also in his last year of junior eligibility. Like Norway, most strong Danish prospects also head to Sweden.

Another challenge to Norway might come from Austria, which finished fourth in the Division 1-A tournament last year but has defenseman Gregor Biber, another Utah prospect that plays in the SHL, and right winger Vasili Zelenov, a Buffalo Sabres prospect who plays in the USHL. He’s also one of two Moscow-born twin brothers on the team – the other being defenseman Ivan Zelenov. 

France, Hungary and host Slovenia will likely battle to avoid relegation to Division 1 Group B. However, even these teams have some notable talent. 

Slovenia has Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jan Goličič, who plays in the QMJHL for the Gatineau Olympiques, France also has a defenseman in the Q – Teo Besnier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs – and Hungary has 16-year-old Domán Szongoth, who plays for KooKoo in the top Finnish junior league and scored a goal for the Hungarian senior men’s national team at the Olympic qualifiers in Bratislava this past August.