From 2005 to the start of this season, here are the highest-scoring NHLers who never appeared in the world juniors.
Joe PavelskiAs many future NHLers begin the 2025 world juniors in Ottawa, keep in mind that playing in the tourney doesn’t make or break a career.
From 2005 to the start of this season, here's a sneak peek from The Hockey News' World Junior Championship edition at the highest-scoring NHLers who never appeared in the annual men's U-20 tournament.
Joe Pavelski, USA, 1,068 Points
We'd shame the brain trust at USA Hockey who overlooked Pavelski, but few saw his potential. A late-bloomer and dogged competitor, 'Little Joe' made up for missing out on the world juniors with a selection to Team USA's silver-medal-winning 2010 Olympic squad.
Eric Staal, Canada, 1,032 Points
Staal was legitimately snubbed in 2003. By the time the tournament arrived, he had amassed 20 goals and 52 points in 32 games for the OHL's Peterborough Petes. He became a full-time NHLer immediately following the 2003 draft – and eventually became a member of the Triple Gold Club.
Patrick Marleau, Canada, 870 Points
Age and timing conspired against Marleau. Canada didn't want to take two 17-year-olds to the 1997 tournament, so Joe Thornton was selected over his future Sharks teammate. And the following year, Marleau – taken second overall, behind Thornton, in the 1997 NHL draft – was San Jose's young cornerstone.
This is an excerpt from the list of six players on the world juniors snub-o-meter, as featured in The Hockey News' WJC magazine issue.
In this edition, we feature wall-to-wall coverage of the 2025 World Junior Championship, complete with looks at all 10 teams and some of the most prominent players involved.
Also in this issue, we shine the spotlight on San Jose's Tyler Toffoli, Philadelphia's Travis Konecny and a team from Haida Gwaii that really goes the extra mile.
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