Here is a quick update on the players selected in 2023:
Anton Wahlberg – C – 39th overall
The big Swede thrived in his second World Junior Championships, leading Tre Kronor’s forwards with six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in four preliminary round games and scoring a goal in the Swedes quarterfinal contest against Latvia. The 19-year-old came to North America to play with Rochester at the end of last season and in all five Calder Cup playoff games vs. Syracuse. This season, the 6’4”, 198 lb. forward finished his first full season with the Amerks with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 63 games.
Wahlberg missed most of the opening round vs. Syracuse due to illness, but has struggled against Laval, going pointless and -1 in each of the four games.
Maxim Strbak – D – 45th overall
The big right-handed defenseman left his native Slovakia to play in the USHL leading into his draft year and has nine points in his freshman year at Michigan State. The 19-year-old was outstanding for his native country at the 2024 World Junior, scoring the second-most points in the tournament (1 goal, 6 assists) in just five games and had another good showing at the WJC in January, with six points in five games. This season Strbak finished with 19 points (3 goal, 16 assists) in 33 games for Michigan State, who lost to Cornell in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
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Gavin McCarthy – D – 86th overall
A Western New York native who played three seasons for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, McCarthy played two years for Muskegon before heading to Boston University. The 6’2”, 188 lb. blueliner had five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 38 games for BU, which went to the Frozen Four in his freshman year. As a sophomore, McCarthy has 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in 39 games for the Terriers, who lost to Western Michigan in the NCAA Championship game.
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