2019 World Juniors: Which prospects raised their stock the most?

Czech Republic

Lukas Dostal

Goaltender
Draft: 2018 3rd round, 85th overall
Team: Anaheim Ducks

Lukas Dostal was one of many goalies who put on a show this year in the tournament. Dostal is one of the smaller goalies up and coming in hockey, but has extremely good quickness from his butterfly style, and covers up the lower part of the net well. The only game the Czechs gave up more than 3 goals was against Canada, and was the only game Dostal didn’t play.

He’s also putting up good numbers in the Czech2 league, with SK Horacka Slavia Trebic (where he’s on loan). In 18 games, he’s put up a .917 save percentage and 2.53 goals against. Considering his performance at the world stage against stiffer competition, he may warrant a closer look over the next couple of years. The Ducks seem set in net for a while with John Gibson, but you can never have too many good goalies in the system.

Slovakia

Martin Fehervary
Defenseman
Draft: 2018 2nd round, 46th overall
Team: Washington Capitals

Martin Fehervary was one of the few bright spots on Team Slovakia during the World Juniors, serving as a backbone defenseman who played hard and got in the dirty areas. He hasn’t always been a point-getter, never once putting up double digit points in any one season he’s played, or even coming close to a .333 points per game ratio.

Despite all this, he managed a point per game in the tournament this year, and even outscored his 23 games at HV71 of the Swedish League. His competitiveness and defensive play were reasons to maybe give him a second look when it comes to judging who the next prospects for the Capitals will be when it comes time to restock the farm. Fehervary may just make that short list.

Switzerland

Philipp Kurashev
Forward
Draft: 2018 4th round, 120th overall
Team: Chicago Blackhawks

One of the bright spots on the Swiss team this year was Philipp Kurashev. The young center was able to pot 6 goals in Switzerland’s 7 games, displaying a great scoring ability. He has a great shot, and smarts on where to be when scoring opportunities arise. He currently plays for Quebec in the QMJHL, where he’s over a point per game.

He’s still got time to round out the other parts of his game, such as his defensive play and his skating, but his offensive threat and goal scoring ability should be enough to carry him to at least a good look from the Chicago higher-ups. Scoring as much as he did for a Swiss team that managed to pull off a big upset of Sweden definitely helps.