Malik L’Italien
#77 Halifax Mooseheads. Left shot D. 6’4” / 198
DOB: June 10, 2009
September 26, 2026 vs. Newfoundland Regiment
L’Italien is a big, rangy defenceman who was one of Halifax’s brighter spots in a difficult 6–0 loss. Playing nearly 25 minutes, he handled a heavy workload at even strength, on the penalty kill and on Halifax’s second power-play unit. He retrieved pucks effectively in the defensive zone and consistently moved them out with ease. He showed good composure under pressure, rarely appearing rushed, and generally made smart, simple decisions rather than forcing plays that were not available.
For his size, L’Italien moves well. His pivots were smooth, and his mobility allowed him to defend effectively in space. He used his length particularly well against the rush, extending his stick to disrupt attacks and take away passing or shooting options before they could develop. Offensively, his game was relatively simple but effective, moving pucks quickly and taking what the defence gave him.
Despite the blowout, L’Italien made very few noticeable mistakes. His most significant came following a defensive-zone faceoff, where he was slow to identify and stay with his assignment, allowing his man to get open at the back door for an uncontested tap-in. Moving forward, L’Italien should continue to handle major minutes for Halifax. His combination of size, mobility, reach, composure and defensive reliability gives him an intriguing foundation, and based on this viewing, he looks like a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
32. Malik L’Italien (6’4″ | 198lbs | LD | Halifax Mooseheads | Canada)
In a draft class full of smaller-framed blueliners, it wouldn’t surprise me to see 6’3” Malik L’Italien selected early on draft day.
Primarily serving as a shutdown defender, he embraces physical play, clearing out the net front and battling relentlessly along the boards.
While his offensive tools are built around a heavy point shot and solid distribution vision during power-play minutes with Halifax, they don’t project as high-end attributes just yet.
L’Italien possesses the defensive ability of a top-10 talent, but expanding his offensive toolbox will be the key to climbing into that top tier.
Team USA: The Resilient Silver Medalists
The United States brought a highly competitive development group that rightfully earned its spot in the final, proving that their grassroots depth continues to rise even when navigating split summer rosters.
Gavin Burcar, C (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds | Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
The Analysis: Burcar was the undisputed engine of the American offense, finishing right behind the top Canadians with a spectacular nine points. He set the tone on day one with a ferocious hat trick against Czechia and never looked back. Burcar projects beautifully as a high-end NHL power center; he has a legit 40-goal upside because of how cleanly he protects the puck down low and the sheer heavy velocity of his shot.
Nash Roed, F (2028 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 5-foot-11, 187 pounds | USNTDP
The Analysis: When the lights were brightest in the tournament’s knockout stage, Roed delivered. His clutch, single-game hat trick in the 5-2 semifinal victory over Slovakia was a pure exhibition of hunting soft ice and executing under immense pressure.
Team Finland: The Bronze Finishers
Finland executed their classic, suffocating tactical system to precision, ultimately grinding their way to a hard-fought 3-2 bronze-medal win over tournament underdog Slovakia.
Luca Santala, RW/C (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds | London Knights (OHL)
The Analysis: Santala used this tournament as a perfect bridge before making his highly anticipated North American transition to the OHL. He is a pure, unadulterated sniper who leans heavily into a volume-shooting mentality. What impresses is his spatial awareness; Santala has an innate ability to let the play develop around him before drifting into dangerous mid-range shooting lanes to release a heavy, heavy wrist shot.
Team Slovakia: The Underdogs
Slovakia fell just short of the podium, but they played an incredibly entertaining brand of fast, transitional, highly skilled hockey.
Tomáš Selič, F (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds | Flint Firebirds (OHL)
The Analysis: Selič was an absolute joy to watch in the offensive zone. Finishing the tournament with eight points, he proved to be one of the most creative playmakers in Edmonton. He plays with an aggressive pace, using deceptive shoulder shakes to freeze defenders at the blue line before slipping precise passes through seams. He is a primary puck-transporter who elevates his linemates.
Team Switzerland: The High-Minute Workhorses
The Swiss team secured a highly respectable fifth-place finish with a somewhat surprising 5-1 win over Czechia, heavily anchored by their veteran junior leadership.
Jonah Neuenschwander, C (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 6-foot-4, 185 pounds | Biel NLA (Switzerland)
The Analysis: Neuenschwander played heavy, demanding minutes against every country’s top defensive pairings and never faltered. Finishing with six points (3 goals, 3 assists), he demonstrated a complete two-way profile. He uses his long reach to disrupt plays in his own zone and possesses the vision to transition those turnovers into instant odd-man rushes. He looks completely ready to impact pro hockey back home this fall.
Team Czechia: The Physical Ground Game
While Czechia faced a tough placement round, their roster showcased an identity built on heavy, imposing physical traits.
Maxmilian Mares, C (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 6-foot-6, 229 pounds | Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
The Analysis: You simply cannot miss Mares when he steps onto the ice. He is an absolute mountain of a teenager who completely understands how to leverage his massive frame to protect the puck. Tallying three goals and three assists, Mares anchored the middle of the ice with a punishing power-forward game. If he can continue to refine his short-area foot speed in the QMJHL this season, NHL general managers will be lining up to draft his rare athletic profile.
Lukáš Kachlíř, D (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 5-foot-8, 160 pounds | Bílí Tygři Liberec (Czechia) / Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
The Analysis: If you want pure, unadulterated hockey fun from the blue line, Kachlíř is your guy. At 5-foot-8, he immediately faces the obvious size and structural strength questions that NHL scouts obsess over, and yes, there are shifts where he can get pinned down or outmuscled in his own zone, but he is rarely, if ever, outworked. But the second the puck lands on his stick? He transforms into a one-man breakout machine. Kachlíř possesses some of the most fluid, deceptive edge-work in this entire draft class, allowing him to dance away from heavy forecheckers and walk the blue line with total lateral freedom. He finished tied as one of Czechia’s most lethal offensive drivers, logging five points in four games, including a massive power-play one-timer that nearly blew the back of the net out against the Americans. His east-west passing lane vision is elite, and though he occasionally gets caught trying to pull off the extra move, his capacity to dictate the absolute tempo of an offensive possession is undeniable. Having been selected by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the CHL Import Draft, a full season adjusting his quick-strike game to North American ice will tell us exactly how high his draft ceiling can climb.
Team Sweden: The Undersized Innovators
Sweden’s tournament didn’t go quite as planned, finishing seventh with a 4-2 win over Germany, but their developmental pipeline remains incredibly intriguing.
Douglas Johnsson, D (2027 NHL Draft Eligible)
The Tape: 5-foot-10, 169 pounds | Skellefteå J20 (Sweden)
The Analysis: Johnsson is yet another example of the modern, undersized, highly intelligent puck-moving defenseman that Sweden is becoming famous for developing. He mitigates his lack of raw physical size with elite edge-work, an active defensive stick, and an incredibly fast outlet pass. He rarely absorbs direct physical contact because his lateral mobility allows him to dance away from oncoming forecheckers, making him a fascinating long-term project.
Team Germany: The Resilient Foundation
This week’s three stars feature two highly mobile, offensive-minded defensemen from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) who have played central roles in their teams’ postseason runs, along with an overage Ontario Hockey League (OHL) goaltender whose combination of regular-season consistency and playoff resilience should earn him renewed draft attention.
Julien Maze #72 Regina Pats – December 7, 2007 – Left shot left wing. 5.10 / 170
196. Edmonton Oilers (From ANA) – Éliot L’Italien C Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL) SUMMARY: L’Italien was a high pick in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft, but through his first 60 games he only has 21 points. The Oilers have will have some work to do to get him back to being the player he once was, but he does have that potential to be something special. – Brogan Houston
Slotted on the forward line alongside Jett Luchanko and Ryder Ritchie. Iginla was strong on the puck, resilient and found ways to get his stick on pucks. When sizing up against his opponent to protect the puck, he was effective at opening up his skating gait by widening his stance, to distribute the strength in his lower body making it more difficult for opponents to knock him off the puck, by opening up his gait it provided that needed additional time and space for Iginla to find his teammates and make a play. This may sound familiar but Tij is an Iginla who likes to score goals. Iginla finished third in total points on the team with 12 points, 6 goals and 6 assists, in 7 games. Iginla averaged just below 4 shots per game in the tournament, about one shot less than his shots per game in the WHL this past season. Iginla elevated his game during the knockout stages of the tournament, recording 7 of his 12 points in the final 3 games, including the eventual game winning goal in the gold medal game against the United States. The gold medal winning tradition continues to run in the Iginla family, like his father Jarome, Tij carries a gold medal for Team Canada.
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