2024 World Juniors: Awards Contenders

Who will be named best defender, forward, and goalie at this year's World Juniors?

At the conclusion of the Gold Medal match the IIHF directorate are asked to vote on a variety of awards for the year’s tournament. They name the best defenseman, best forward, and best goaltender for the tournament while members of the media decide the tournament’s MVP.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Vancouver Canucks (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Today we’re going to take a look at where these awards stand roughly half-way through the tournament, following a few contenders for each major award. Some of these guys are here more for their track record and others more for their reputation, but all of these players have serious chances at being recognized as the best amongst their peers.

Without further ado, let’s jump in with the contenders for the tournaments best defender.

Top Defender

Lane Hutson - Team USA

Lane Hutson is an incredibly gifted offensive defenseman who has lit up the NCAA for the last year and a half. While he hasn’t had the strongest or most productive start to the tournament (just two points in three games), Hutson has the talent to be a difference maker for the Americans and I’m not ready to count him out just yet.

Hutson is a dynamic skater and playmaker, capable of dancing around checks at the blue line while sizing up passing lanes. He showed his skills off well in Team USA’s shootout win over Czechia on Friday, confidently carrying and moving the puck through the neutral zone. Hutson hasn’t earned this award yet but I’m projecting a bit here and I think he’ll really shine in the knockout round.

Theo Lindstein - Team Sweden

Theo Lindstein wasn’t supposed to be at this tournament, only joining Team Sweden after they lost another defender in the pre tournament games. Lindstein has had a good year in Sweden’s second-tier pro league HockeyAllsvenskan, scoring 11 points in 27 games despite being a defenseman who isn’t exactly the most offensively minded. The St. Louis Blues prospect is a safe two-way defender who knows when to pinch up and join the attack to limit the chance of a rush in the other direction.