DuPont, Bjorck headline players to watch this weekend at U17 Hockey Challenge
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Canada Red, Sweden, United States and Canada White will be competing for medals this weekend at the U17 Hockey Challenge from Sarnia, Ont.
Watch the U17 Hockey Challenge bronze medal game LIVE on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT followed by the gold-medal game at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on TSN2 and streaming on TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Canada White is looking to repeat as U17 champions for the second year in a row, while the United States and Sweden aim to improve on their respective silver and bronze medal performances from a year ago.
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button has identified seven players to watch in the medal rounds at the U17s.
Landon DuPont – Canada Red
In April, DuPont became the ninth player granted exceptional status to enter the Canadian Hockey League as a 15-year-old.
He is just the second WHL player to receive exceptional status, after Connor Bedard, and is the first defenceman.
Selected first overall by the Everett Silvertips in the WHL Draft, DuPont has four goals and 16 points in 12 games this season.
With Canada Red, he has three assists in two games as the captain.
“It won’t take you long to find Landon DuPont and notice him,” said Button. “It won’t take you long to understand he controls and commands the game. Fifteen years old and just simply brilliant. He plays the game like Cale Makar.”
Viggo Bjorck – Sweden
Bjorck has had a busy schedule playing with Sweden so far this season.
In August, he suited up for his country at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, helping Sweden earn bronze with two assists in five games.
At the U17s, he has three assists through two games.
“He’s got the vision to make plays, and he can the shoot the puck or pass the puck,” said Button. “He can score goals or make assists. But he goes out on the ice and he’s quick, fast, elusive.
“Elite brain and the skating and puck skills are excellent. He’s the maestro out there on his line.”
Playing with Djurgardens J20 squad this season, Bjorck has 10 goals and 22 points in 17 games.
Ethan Belchetz - Canada White
Belchetz is the tournament leader in goals with four goals in three games, including a two-goal performance in a 5-4 overtime loss to Sweden in the round robin.
He was drafted first overall in the OHL Draft by the Windsor Spitfires after notching 46 goals and 84 points in 34 games last season with the Oakville Rangers of the OMHA.
The 6-foot-5 16-year-old is off to a point per game start to his OHL career this season with four goals and 12 points in 12 games.
“He’s the perfect poster child for the bigger player development we’ve seen in the last 20 years,” said Button. “It’s unbelievable to watch him move around, the skill, the size – he can literally beat you any way. Skill, size, power, good hands.
“He is a unicorn.”
Keaton Verhoeff – Canada White
The fourth-overall pick in the 2023 WHL Draft by the Victoria Royals, Verhoeff is in his rookie season and has four goals and 10 points in 13 games.
The 16-year-old defenceman is captain of Canada White, notching two assists in three games. He reminds Button of a recent Stanley Cup-winning defenceman.
“He reminds me a lot of Aaron Ekblad,” said Button. “I just see a settled, controlled, really strong player. Six-foot-three, 200 pounds, again big player development. No panic in his game.”
Colin Fitzgerald – Canada Red
While Fitzgerald has yet to register a point in the tournament through the first two games, Button notes that the 16-year-old centre is a key player for Canada Red.
“Colin has a big motor, revs at high RPMS,” said Button. “Excellent skater and he’s one of these what I call, any situations in a game player. Kill penalties, great offence, hard to play against. He’s a factor just about every shift he’s out on the ice.”
As a rookie this season with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes after being selected third overall in this year’s draft, Fitzgerald has four goals and seven points in 12 games.
Victor Plante - United States
Plante leads the U17s in assists (five) and is tied for the tournament lead in points alongside Canada White’s Adam Valentini with six points.
At 5-foot-6, Plante is leading the USNTDP U17 squad in scoring this season with six goals and 14 points in 17 games.
“Victor is quick, fast, sharp,” said Button. “Quick hands, feet and mind. He creates so many opportunities because he knows where to be and where to go, with and without the puck. He is so good at stripping a player defensively and it’s all of the sudden an offensive chance because he knows where to be on the ice. He’s got game presence.”
Sammy Nelson – United States
Nelson is one of five players tied with five points in the tournament, and he is the second-leading point-getter for the Americans behind Plante.
With the USNTDP U17 squad this season, he has five goals and 10 points in 18 games.
“Sammy is a penalty killer, he plays centre ice and what he does is control the game from that pivot spot,” said Button. “The important areas of the game he factors in with the puck, without the puck, forechecking, faceoffs, penalty killing.”