Standout performances from February's U18 Five Nations tournament

This February's U18 Five Nation tournament, being held in Ängelholm, Sweden, had an unexpected ending.

Finland ended up taking home the victory, ending up with three wins and one overtime loss in four games. It's a confidence boost for a group that is notably weak on draft-eligible talent and hasn't even come close to performing this well in an international competition this season. Whether they can carry that momentum to the U18s remains to be seen, though.

Sweden entered the tournament as the clear-cut favourites, bolstering the most stacked forward group by a wide margin. They dominated the USA in the opener, ended up with three wins and the best goal differential but crumbled in the crucial match against the Finns, which ended up costing them the tournament.

The USA also ended up with three wins, but only one of them being in regulation. Czechia managed to keep things relatively close against everybody, but they only managed to secure a single overtime win over bottom-feeder Switzerland.

For scouts, the tournament featured a ton of draft-eligible talent to evaluate and take notes on. So, let's dive into the players who were able to stand out.

Viggo Björck, F, Sweden (2026 NHL Draft)

Viggo Björck was not only Sweden's most productive player in this tournament, but also arguably the best player at the entire event and had his long-awaited big international breakthrough. Playing on the top line while also quarterbacking Sweden's five-forward top power play unit from the point, his offensive instincts and technical ability was on full display. He sees the ice really well and combines that with plenty of finesse as a passer.

Björck was the main driver of his line in transition, too, carrying the puck and weaving through pressure with crossovers and weight shifts. He's still got a lot of developmental runaway physically and got overpowered from pucks at times, but wasn't shy about his forechecking and created a lot of steals through his smarts and anticipation. At this pace, even the 5-foot-9 frame isn't going to prevent him from being a very high pick in the 2026 draft.

You can read more on Björck's tournament from here.

Anton Frondell, F, Sweden (2025 NHL Draft)

It was last year's February's Five Nations tournament that helped to put Anton Frondell on the map as an elite prospect, and he didn't disappoint this year, either. Adding two goals and six points to tie for the team-lead together with Björck, this tournament was a good encapsulation of Frondell as a player. 

He showed his shooting prowess on the power play, his strength and details in puck battles and 1-on-1 situations, and also flashed touch as a playmaker. There were also some impressive moments of puck-handling and creativity that you come to expect from him. The flaws related to his skating, transition play and overall 5-on-5 impact were also visible most of the time. While I don't think this tournament will change our projection by much, I can see NHL teams walking away satisfied with his effort.

Viktor Klingsell, F, Sweden (2025 NHL Draft)

Viktor Klingsell hasn't dominated at the J20 level, but he continues to show up whenever he dons the Swedish jersey. Even with Milton Gästrin – with whom he's been super-productive this season – being absent, he managed to stand out, even more than his four points in four games would suggest.

Performances like the ones he had at this event make me think that Klingsell's playmaking could be a legitimate high-end projection. In this area, he was arguably the best player at the tournament, consistently managing to amaze me with the passing lanes he was seeing, also being able to execute on most of them. There are still questions about the translatability of the rest of his game, but the upside was on full display here.

Matias Vanhanen, F, Finland (2025 NHL Draft)

This was yet another international tournament where Matias Vanhanen drove the bus for Finland. With three goals and six points, he was the most productive member of the tournament-winning squad and now leads Finland's U18 team in points across the entire season while having missed one of the events.

Vanhanen's passing ability and offensive instincts continue to stand out on a team where such things are in shortage. He also continues to show that he's not afraid of getting his hands dirty and engaging physically on the forecheck and puck battles despite his size, which is an encouraging sign. Was this tournament enough to get NHL teams overlook the 5-foot-8 frame? Probably not, but he still has a good chance of playing the best career out of all of the draft-eligible players on this roster.

Lasse Boelius, D, Finland (2025 NHL Draft)

As far as draft-eligible skaters on Team Finland, all eyes were on Lasse Boelius. He hasn't been at his best recently in league play, but this showing can be categorized as a solid bounceback. He played top pairing minutes, added two assists and looked like the most NHL-projectable draft-eligible player on the team.

In contrast to his recent league play, I thought that Boelius made some good offensive reads throughout this tournament, pouncing on opportunities to activate from the point and being rewarded with multiple high-danger chances. The skating remains a big part of the equation and showed well here, both as an offensive and a defensive weapon. I'd still want to see more higher-end stuff from him in transition, but overall, I think he probably managed to raise his draft stock, at least by a little bit.

Vertti Svensk, D, Finland (2026 NHL Draft)

Finland's defence group for this tournament featured four 2026 eligibles in total, and out of all of them, it was Vertti Svensk who managed to stood out the most. He only had a single assist in the four games he played, but it was a very pretty one and came at the end of a beautiful coast-to-coast sequence.

Svensk's skating showed as his single-best tool, arguably being the best mover on Team Finland. He was able to use crossovers to carry the puck in transition, then employed well-executed fakes and feints to shake off back pressure on breakouts and retrievals. He also showed mostly well on the defensive side, using his footwork to gap up and prevent offence from the opponents. This is a player very much worthy of following for the 2026 draft.

Jack Murtagh, F, USA (2025 NHL Draft)

Jack Murtagh was the best American at this tournament and one of the top scorers. He shows a lot of pro habits already in his game. He is strong on his skates and has physical strategies to help him win and contain pucks along the boards and also separate in the next sequence. He is quite skilled in handling the puck in small areas and adds space for himself to make the next play.

I didn’t see him open up space for others but he seems to recognize where the open space is and makes fast plays to open up. In this game he didn’t showcase his shot that much. His skating looked technically strong and effective but maybe it lacks explosiveness to be able shift pace quickly but he was able to skate away with the puck on that breakaway with ease though. Murtagh looked like a strong middle-six forward prospect and should have a good chance to be selected late in the first round. He isn’t high-end offensively but possesses pro level tools and habits.

Cole McKinney, F, USA (2025 NHL Draft)

Cole McKinney was a clutch scorer for the NTDP and one of the top producers in the tournament. He's a smart, hard-working centre with some skill. He skates with a low center of gravity and can handle the puck with a wide reach which makes him strong on the puck. He takes smart routes without the puck and plays hard to win battles.

McKinney is strong on the puck in tight areas, showing up in the slot and managing to fire a shot through traffic multiple times. He also retrieved the puck a lot. He has some soft skill with the puck as well handling it to find open space. He scans while he is handling the puck as well. He isn’t a primary driver of offence but has useful skills and looked like a good option for the second round of the draft. He has both some top-six traits as well as bottom-six traits.

Charlie Trethewey, D, USA (2025 NHL Draft)

Charlie Trethewey was a calm presence all week. He was a smooth player that made unspectacular yet effective plays all over the ice. He is an effective, smooth skater in all directions. Even if he makes a mistake with the puck, he doesn’t panic and can make up for them with good mobility and physical strategies. He can skate fast without using much energy, also having decent size and can defend with good reach. He has good puck control and also showed some nice dekes in combination with his skating.

Trethewey also played the left flank on the second power play unit – a spot usually occupied by a forward – and delivered some good-one passes and shots. He stood out as the USA's defenceman with the best chance of making the NHL in a top-four role.

William Moore, F, USA (2025 NHL Draft)

William Moore started the tournament showing impressive plays, but he wasn't as visible in the last two games. Everything seemed to flow in motion when he made plays. He's a fluid skater that combines his slick mobility with timely stick handling in motion. He handles the puck well in the outer edges as well as close to his feet. He also has the ability to fool opponents with slick cutback moves and protect the puck with good timing along the boards. I also like that he is inside-driven.

Moore didn’t show much ability to break into the inside himself but he showed a knack of turning up in the slot at the right moments and fought for loose pucks. His play-driving was a bit inconsistent and he tends to play with very slim margins at times. Overall, I thought Moore looked the part of a quick, slim and skilled forward with some top-six elements.

Tomáš Poletín, F, Czechia (2025 NHL Draft)

Tomáš Poletín was the best player for Czechia in the game against Finland. He played a solid two-way game. Offensively, he showed good awareness with the puck and made smart plays in tight spaces. He plays at a low pace and doesn't have shiftiness in his skating but showed some ability to control space with the puck and make the smart plays to open up more space for his team. He also showed a will to challenge defenders on the inside. Along the boards, he showed aggression and the ability to spin off opponents with smart positioning, using the energy from the impact of a hit to his advantage.

On the power play, Czechia used him as the net-front player where he occupied an active role, moving down besides the goal at times to be able for a pass or to push himself in with the puck in close range. I also liked his defensive game. He showed smart awareness on the forecheck, breaking up passes and turning the puck over for his team. A two-way forward with some middle-six elements.

Matouš Kucharčík, F, Czechia (2025 NHL Draft)

Matouš Kucharčík led Czechia as their top center throughout the tournament. He showed a strong two-way game and was a driver for them on both sides of the puck. His best game came versus the USA where he was a dominant force in the middle playing in all key situations. He had the puck a lot and was very contributive in transition. He was always close to his teammates supporting the puck-carrier by offering them an easy passing option. 

Skating-wise, he isn’t impressive, playing a low-paced game and lacking explosiveness. He had some nice deceptive moves to gain pace and made some nice plays on the power play where he played in the right circle. There were some playmaking flashes there I liked. Kucharcik could be an interesting player for the later rounds in the draft. His lack of pace makes the projection risky but at the same time, he is a smart player with good size.

Vladimír Dravecký, D, Czechia (2026 NHL Draft)

This tournament was being played on a home soil for Vladimír Dravecký who has spent this season playing for Rögle. He was the most skilled player on Czechia's team. He really stood out through his puck-moving abilities. He has impressive four-way skating mobility and a good control of space while he carries the puck. Time after time, he just slipped through pressure with his skills, mobility and awareness of space.

Dravecký has the ability to plan his action while travelling with the puck. He was also solid while defending against the rush and also showed up well while defending in-zone. On the power play, he was a play-driving quarterback who set the pace for the unit. Skilled but smaller defencemen don't always pan out as NHLers, but at the very least, he is an interesting player to follow for the 2026 draft.