Why the World Juniors can be a lifeline for goalies passed over in the NHL Draft
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – Petteri Rimpinen has always enjoyed the underdog mentality.
The belief, true or not, that no one is expecting you to succeed. It’s something that, Rimpinen says, defines the Finnish team at the 2026 World Junior Championships, who head into a New Year’s Eve meeting with Canada with a chance to win Group B with a regulation victory.
“We have the experience of playing together and we don’t think about it too much, but we are the underdogs, that’s the mentality we have,” Rimpinen said. “Expecting everyone to pick against you, but also knowing yourself you can beat anyone.”
With all due respect to Rimpinen’s statement about his team, the Finns really aren’t an underdog in this tournament. Not only are the defending the silver medallists, but for those who have watched the tournament closely, there’s more concern about the Canadians heading into the final preliminary game.
But Rimpinen’s statement does fit well with his story, and the collection of goalies who are using this tournament as a showcase to possibly become re-entry picks at the 2026 NHL Draft.
Rimpinen was passed over in 2024. Between his size at 6-foot, and some struggles at the 2024 Under-18 World Championships, he dropped off the radar for NHL teams. But at the 2025 World Juniors, Rimpinen was one of the tournament's best stories, backstopping Finland to the final, winning top goalie honours, and parlaying that into a strong season in Liiga in the second half of the season.
It made Rimpinen an attractive re-entry candidate for the 2025 NHL Draft, and he was picked by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth-round, joining one of the NHL’s deepest goalie prospect pools.
While they didn’t mention Rimpinen by name, others goalies have seen his path and used it as personal motivation for this tournament.
Alan Lenďák, one of Slovakia's goalies, was their backup last year, and struggled in relief when he got into games. Now a 19-year-old at this year's tournament, he stopped 29 shots against Sweden in Game 1.
“You don’t think about it every day, but it’s something you know,” Lenďák said. “You realize there is an opportunity here that’s a bigger stage, where you might get some attention.”
Lenďák, who was recently traded in the USHL from the Fargo Force to the Des Moines Buccaneers, said he’s learned that part of standing out as a goalie is finding the time to seize moments in North America. It’s why he came over to the USHL last season, and why he relishes the opportunity here in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Nils Roberts Maurins, a 19-year-old Latvian goalie, quickly grabbed scouts' attention with his 36-save performance against Canada, a 2-1 overtime loss. Maurins has quietly been one of the best goaltending stories in the USHL this season, where despite playing for the woefully bad Omaha Lancers – last in the league amongst full-time USHL programs – he’s posted a .896 save percentage.
Maurins won’t get drafted solely because of his showing against Canada, but as one NHL executive told Elite Prospects, showcase games, like this event, can be the push teams need to further investigate a goaltender.
“I don’t know if he’s worth drafting, but I guarantee you we’ll have someone watch a guy a bit closer after this tournament to keep tabs on whether it’s a one-game thing or something we don’t want to miss,” the executive said. “Especially with goaltending, I think it’s all about being willing to realize we don’t know who’s really going to develop at 18."