2026 World Juniors: Porter Martone and Gavin McKenna headline why Flyers fans should watch the tournament

It’s the best time of the year, the holiday season, and for hockey fans, that also means the annual gift of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championship.

The premier under-20 hockey tournament in the world, which starts each year the day after Christmas, showcases the next wave of NHL superstars, many of whom have already been drafted and others who won’t wait long to hear their names called come June. This year’s tournament will be held in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., and runs through Jan. 5. Here are four reasons that Flyers fans should be tuned in to NHL Network and ESPN+ over the next few weeks.

» READ MORE: Flyers Q&A: Brent Flahr dishes on prospects Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and more

Let’s not bury the lead here. Porter Martone is the biggest reason for Flyers fans to watch this tournament, as the 6-foot-3, 208-pound power forward will be counted on as one of the key cogs for heavy favorite Canada. Martone, the No. 6 overall draft pick in June, looks poised to be a pillar of the Flyers’ future and should be ready to make the jump to the NHL next season.

The winger, who tore apart the Ontario Hockey League last year with 98 points in 57 games, has been just as dominant as a freshman in the NCAA, as he leads No. 3 Michigan State with 11 goals, 20 points, and 58 penalty minutes in 16 games. With a rare combination of size, skill, playmaking ability, scoring touch, and snarl, Martone projects as a front-line winger at the next level. Martone’s skating, while hardly a weakness, remains a work in progress, but Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr recently told The Inquirer that he thinks Martone “has a chance to be a special player” and that he has the “it factor.”

Martone has been playing on Canada’s top line with Michael Misa and Tij Iginla but has also seen time alongside Gavin McKenna. The World Juniors can serve as a launching pad for future NHL stars, so don’t be surprised to see the Flyers prospect have a huge tournament.

While Martone is the unquestioned headliner, the Flyers will have six prospects lacing them up in the Twin Cities, including Martone and Jett Luchanko (Canada), Shane Vansaghi (United States), Jack Berglund (Sweden), and Heikki Ruohonen and Max Westergård (Finland).

Luchanko and Berglund will draw the most attention, especially with the Flyers badly needing one or two of their young center prospects to pan out. The speedy Luchanko will likely play a third-line/checking role — he’s been used some on the wing in preliminary games — with Canada, but Flyers fans will want to see him utilize his playmaking skills with better players around him. Since being traded to Brantford of the OHL last month, Luchanko has two goals and eight points in six games. The Flyers want Luchanko to continue shooting the puck more, and it will be interesting to see how he’s utilized a year after Danny Brière said he wasn’t happy with his deployment at this tournament.

Berglund, on the other hand, is probably the least-talked-about prospect in the Flyers system. A big, strong centerman listed at 6-4 and 209 pounds, the Swede will have the responsibility of captaining his country at this illustrious tournament, something Emil Andrae did in 2022. After impressing at Flyers development camp and the World Junior Summer Showcase, Berglund will look to continue his momentum. The early signs are good, as the 19-year-old recently scored twice against Canada in a preliminary game. The question with Berglund will always be his skating, but Flahr believes it has steadily improved and says that Berglund’s size, strength, and details project him to be a valuable player at the next level.

The bruising but skilled Vansaghi figures to be a depth piece for the Americans, while Ruohonen will play in a top-six role with Finland, with the Harvard man another player who impressed at the World Junior Summer Showcase. Westergård, 18, also earned a spot on the roster after a strong first half in Sweden at the under-20 level.

» READ MORE: Flyers Q&A: Brent Flahr talks Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, Jack Berglund, and the 2026 NHL draft

While McKenna has long been viewed as the prize of the 2026 draft, the Penn State phenom no longer seems to be a lock to go No. 1. Two of the players challenging for that spot also will be playing in the tournament: towering Canadian defenseman Keaton Verhoeff and exciting Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg.

While the Flyers, who are currently in a playoff spot, don’t look to be genuine contenders for McKenna, Verhoeff, and some of the others at the top, they will surely be scouting the tournament with a close eye. Sweden’s Viggo Björck (C) and William Håkansson (LD), USA’s Chase Reid (RD), Canada’s Carson Carels (LD), Finland’s Oliver Suvanto (C) and Juho Piiparinen (RD), and Czechia’s Adam Novotny are among the other draft-eligible players to watch.

USA Hockey only won its first World Juniors gold in 2004. It has won the tournament seven times overall, including the last two years. So can the U.S., which had never won two in a row before last year, make it three straight?

It will be a tough task as Canada brings a star-studded roster headlined by McKenna, Misa, and Martone, not to mention a new head coach in Dale Hunter, who knows what it takes to lead a group of young men to gold.

But the U.S. boasts a strong roster of its own led by James Hagens, Cole Eiserman, and Max Plante. While the depth or star power might not be at the level of past U.S. teams, the Americans will go into this tournament as the two-time defending champions and have home-ice advantage. The U.S. is also sure to have a chip on its shoulder, especially given all the “dream team” talk surrounding Canada. All the pressure is on Canada to win gold and atone for last year’s shocking quarterfinal upset. That could work to the Americans’ advantage.

» READ MORE: Flyers top 20 prospects: Porter Martone is No. 1, but where do Alex Bump and Jett Luchanko rank?