The Chicago Blackhawks have two players playing in the 2025 World Junior Championship. Oliver Moore is a member of Team USA and Jiri Felcman is with the Czech Republic. Both had victories with their respective teams on Thursday.
Moore couldn’t find the scoresheet from Team USA’s 10-4 win over Germany, but we knew that wouldn’t be his primary focus. He was great with his speed, defending in his own goal and killing penalties.
There was one penalty killing moment in particular, which showed exactly how he can use his speed to make things happen. Team USA killed a penalty they took due to a bad challenge and Moore almost scored short-handed. It was one of many opportunities he got in those kinds of situations.
Moore may not be a superstar player who makes a difference, but he has the tools needed to do the little things right. It’s hard to win without players like him. Team USA has enough stars to score regularly, so Moore can focus on playing his game the right way. At that level of speed, he has a lot of value.
As for Felcman, his Team Czech Republic settled the matter against the Swiss 5-1. The former third-round pick is still trying to make his way through the ranks. You know he is going to learn good habits and play in a smart system with the Czechs.
For the Blackhawks, perhaps the most exciting part of this stretch of games was the idea of ​​future drafts. Right now, the Hawks have the worst record in the NHL. If the season ended today, they would have the highest odds of winning the Draft Lottery.
At the very least, they’ll probably have top-five odds. As long as the young boys continue to develop well, that is honestly a good thing because they are still building for the future. Team USA forward James Hagens is the frontrunner to become the number one pick.
Watching James Hagens play for Team USA had to be an eye-opener for many of the lower-tier teams in the NHL. He was very good at Boston College and took it to another level in this game against Germany. Hagens had two goals and two assists for four points. He was one of the best players on both teams.
Not only did he show his incredible shot/ability to get open, but his ability to make plays and find others was on full display. One NHL team will be very excited about landing him.
If he were to form a two-headed monster in the middle with Connor Bedard, they would have a dynamic line with a star in the middle on the ice for much of the game.
Is it worth selling assets and “fueling” for him? It can be argued that as long as the young NHL players continue to develop, losing games won’t be the worst thing for the organization.
Hagens is the type of player who makes an impact wherever he goes. It took him exactly one World Juniors match to pull off a huge performance. That’s great for his resume as he could potentially be number one.
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