The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge has long been an event that showcases future NHL stars a season or two before the NHL Draft spotlight gets turned on them. Over the years, some of the best and brightest of the NHL have played in this tournament and it’s offered a glimpse of some of the future stars we'll be seeing go atop the drafts a little further out.

For the last two years, however, the U17 Challenge has not been held due to pandemic restrictions. The event, which is hosted by Hockey Canada, has taken on many different forms over the years, but has settled into a competitive, tighter tournament.

It’s almost like a preview of the World Junior Championships a few years down the line with an important twist. In this event, Canada sends three teams – Red, Black and White. The Canadians used to have even more teams, broken out by region, but has streamlined into the three teams we see today, making for more competitive balance.

In addition to Canada’s troika, USA Hockey sends its U.S. National Under-17 Team from the National Team Development Program. This year, the tournament will also feature U17 teams from Czechia, Finland and Sweden.

Normally the event would also include Russia, for an even eight teams, but Russian teams are currently being excluded from all international sporting competitions due to the invasion of Ukraine. 

With the seven teams participating in this year's event, however, there are more than a few prospects to keep an especially close eye on. Here’s a look at some of the names to know as we head into the tournament which runs from Nov. 3-12 in Langley and Delta, B.C. You can find the tournament schedule, complete rosters and more information here.

NHL Draft year in parenthesis.

Macklin Celebrini, C, Canada Black (2024)

A center with good size and skating ability, Celebrini is already considered to be among the best players in the 2006 birth year, if not the best. Currently playing for the Chicago Steel in the USHL, Celebrini is third in the league in scoring with 14 points which includes nine goals over his first nine games as a rookie. He came to Chicago from traditional powerhouse prep school Shattuck St. Mary’s where he scored at a rate topped only by SSM alumni Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews at the same age. Celebrini is a goal scorer, but he is an exceptional passer as well. His ability to make plays at this high a level at his young age makes him an early front-runner to be the top pick in 2024. You can learn more about the young B.C. native in our recent FloHockey video feature here.

Michael Misa, C, Canada Red (2025)

Being granted exceptional status into the OHL brings a lot of attention and Misa hasn't at all shrunk from the spotlight. In fact, he’s thrived, with 10 goals and 17 points through his first 13 games. I’ve started to wonder if maybe there wasn’t enough hype at this point. At 15 years old, Misa is already in the top 10 for OHL scoring and is tied for the league lead in goals. As a U16 player in the OHL, Misa is currently scoring at a rate higher than any previous exceptional status player. There’s no telling if it will continue as it is a long season and anything can happen, but his 1.31 points per game pace puts him well ahead of previous exceptional players John Tavares and Connor McDavid, who each went first overall in the NHL Draft three years after granted exceptional status. This tournament will be a big moment for Misa to further distinguish himself as a 2007-born player playing against primarily 2006 birth years.

⚠️This is not a drill!⚠️

The leading goal scorer in the #OHL is only 15 years old!

Exceptional-status rookie Michael Misa has his ?th goal of the season, tying him atop the league lead in goals and opening the scoring for the @SpiritHockey ? pic.twitter.com/PH185ehAkr

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) October 30, 2022

Cole Eiserman, LW, USA (2024)

A teammate of Celebrini’s at Shattuck last season, Eiserman developed a reputation as a high-end goal scorer. He certainly hasn’t done anything to change anyone’s mind about that with his play this season. Eiserman has scored 11 goals over 10 games in all competitions, including a pair in his lone call-up to the U.S. U18 Team earlier this season. Eiserman has 17 points with the U17 team in just nine games played, leading the team to date. The Minnesota commit should be among the top scorers in this tournament with his elite-level release and accuracy.

James Hagens, C, USA (2025)

Hagens will turn 16 on the first day of the tournament and is already turning heads as a top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft. Currently playing for the U.S. U17 team at the NTDP, he has 14 points in all competitions, bolstered by 12 in just five USHL games. His 2.40 points per game as a U17 player in the USHL is absurd, even if it’s a fairly small sample to date. Hagens is a cerebral playmaker who finds lanes as well as anyone, while making those around him better. He has an advanced mind for the game and can play with good pace.

NO BETTER WAY TO CAP OFF THE HAT TRICK THAN THE OT GAME-WINNING GOAL!!! ???#USAvsDBQ pic.twitter.com/elyCFb2c1i

— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) October 22, 2022

Malcolm Spence, LW, Canada Black (2025)

Drafted second overall after Misa in the OHL draft, Spence is also a 2025 draft eligible due to his late September birthday. He just turned 16, but has looked much more mature and poised than his age suggests. Spence actually out-scored Misa, posting three points, in the first head-to-head matchup between the two. Spence has stayed hot with 11 points through his first 13 OHL games. He’s going to be an offensive leader for the Erie Otters all season even though they have a number of veteran players.

Emil Hemming, LW, Finland (2024)

Already 6-foot-2 and nearly 200 pounds, Hemming is more physically advanced than most of his peers. His game is advanced too. Playing in Finland’s top U20 league, Hemming has 16 points in 18 games so far including seven goals. On top of that, he’s scored three goals in three games of international competition with Finland’s U17 squad. Many eyes will be on Hemming in this tournament as he will be viewed as an offensive leader for his team and should be able to physically dominate his age peers.

Berkly Catton, C, Canada Red (2024)

The No. 1 pick in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2021, Catton was also briefly played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s before embarking on his WHL career. He got a nine-game look last season at 15, but now as a 16-year-old full-timer with the Spokane Chiefs, Catton is producing. He has 10 points through his first 11 games this season. It puts him on pace to score over 60 points as a rookie in a very tough league. This tournament should offer Catton a real opportunity to shine among his peers.

Jordan Gavin, RW, Canada Black (2025)

Picked right after Catton in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2021, Gavin has been a revelation this year for the Tri-City Americans. He’s averaging better than a point per game with 11 assists to go along with his three goals in 12 WHL games. He also got an early taste of the league last season and showcased himself well. Now Gavin has taken another leap and should be one of the real talents to track closely in this tournament. He was just named the WHL's rookie of the month for October.

He leads all first-year skaters with 14 points to start the 2022-23 season.

Jordan Gavin of the @TCAmericans is the WHL Rookie of the Month!

? | https://t.co/MbeVYYGZQl pic.twitter.com/xBNklXG2IX

— The WHL (@TheWHL) November 1, 2022

Konsta Helenius, RW, Finland (2024)

At 16, Helenius is tied with 2023 NHL Draft-eligible forward Jesse Nurmi for the points lead in Finland’s top U20 league. Helenius has 28 points in 19 games. That puts him on a higher scoring pace than players like Kaapo Kakko and Sebastian Aho at the same age. It’s pretty remarkable to see a young player like this get into that kind of category with some of the recent Finnish stars to enter the NHL. A player that has that kind of production at his age will often find themselves getting called up to the U18 team before the season is done. Helenius is one of the players I’m most intrigued to see in this tournament to see how his game translates against his peers after being so productive at the junior level already.

Sam Dickinson, D, Canada Black (2024)

Another big defenseman with puck-moving capabilities, Dickinson managed to get traded from the Niagara Ice Dogs, which drafted him, to the London Knights. Going to a traditional power like London has served Dickinson well so far. He already has three goals from the back end for the Knights to go along with four assists through his first 11 OHL games. There’s still a lot for Dickinson to work on as he’s a raw talent, but he’s also already 6-3 and almost 200 pounds with high-end offensive instincts. He's an especially exciting defense prospect at this particular event.

Sam Dickinson is a FORCE pic.twitter.com/N5dlCMjazw

— London Knights (@LondonKnights) October 30, 2022

Melvin Fernstrom, C/W, Sweden (2024)

Among the top scorers in Sweden’s U18 league, Fernstrom has also seen some time at the U20 level. You’d expect higher-end players to produce in that league as Fernstrom has, but he's averaged over two points per game. He’s also been a dynamo for Sweden’s U17 team in prior international competitions. He had eight points in three previous international games, five more points than his next closest teammate.

Will Skahan, D, USA (2024)

A big defenseman with some snarl, Skahan is a towering 6-foot-4, 205 pounds at just 16 years old. A native of California, Skahan played for St. Thomas Academy in the Minnesota high school ranks last season and produced well for a youngster. Now at the NTDP, he’s had some good weekends against USHL competition and even was one of the league’s defensemen of the week already as a rookie. To see how well he has handled USHL competition, it won’t be a surprise to see him dominate at this level when going against his fellow 16-year-olds. Skahan verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin earlier this year.

Cole Hutson, D, USA (2024)

On the opposite side of the size spectrum from Skahan, Hutson is a dynamic offensive defenseman who is among the top scorers for the U17 team at the NTDP so far this season with nine points through nine games. The younger brother of Montreal Canadiens prospect and current Boston University freshman Lane Hutson, Cole is cut from the same cloth. He has five assists through five USHL games and can make opposing forwards look silly with his deceptive skating and quick hands. The younger Hutson is committed to BU as well.

Sacha Boisvert, C, Canada Red (2024)

Currently playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Boisvert has handled himself quite well as a rookie in the USHL. He has the physical strength to hang with older, stronger players and has been an important piece for Muskegon’s team this season. Committed to the University of North Dakota, Boisvert has eight points in 10 games and does a good job handling the defensive elements of the center position. I’ll be interested to see how his physical advantages translate to this tournament.

Muskegon selects Sacha Boisvert (tender) in the 1st round of the USHL Phase I Draft pic.twitter.com/oX1p74pDOB

— Muskegon Lumberjacks (@MuskegonJacks) May 2, 2022

Gabriel D’Aigle, G, Canada Red (2025)

Goalies are so hard to predict this far out, so I don’t want to get too wrapped up in it, but it’s hard not to notice how D’Aigle’s first foray into the QMJHL has gone. Still just 15 years old, D’Aigle has made five total appearances in QMJHL play with the Vitoriaville Tigres and owns a .920 save percentage. He’s also won four of his five starts. He won’t turn 16 until a week and a half after this tournament. Canada has struggled at producing goalies in great number in recent years, but D’Aigle’s very early indications are that he can be a high-level goalie. He already has NHL size at 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, so I can’t wait to see what he looks like going against the top players in his age group.