USA’s Oliver Wahlstrom Favored at 9-1 Odds to Be Top Scorer at World Juniors

• Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to be one of the key contributors in a deep group of forwards for Team USA
• Canada’s Alexis Lafreniere is currently projected to be No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft
• Canada’s Barrett Hayton had four points in five games in this tournament last year

As Christmas approaches, it marks an important time for hockey fans as it signals the start of the World Junior Hockey Championships. As the action gets underway on Boxing Day, odds have posted props on who’ll lead the tournament in scoring. Let’s take a closer look at this prop and see where there’s value on the board.

Odds to Lead 2019 World Juniors in Scoring

Odds taken Dec. 23

Wahlstrom Favored to Lead World Juniors on Scoring

Team USA announced the addition of Oliver Wahlstrom to the team just last week and he’s expected to have a big impact. He’s played minimal minutes with the New York Islanders this season but is now tabbed to be the leading scorer in the World Junior Hockey Championships after the Isles agreed to loan him to Team USA.

USA’s lines for today’s game against Germany. Trevor Zegras (ANA), Alec Regula (CHI), Christian Krygier (NYI) and Isaiah Saville (VGK) scratched for final exhibition. pic.twitter.com/gJpHEHNL0v

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) December 23, 2019

Wahlstrom, who is 19 years old, played for Team USA last year when they finished with a silver medal. He’s been a top prospect in the United States for years and he finished last year’s tournament with four points in seven games. He’ll now be one of the key leaders on this team and that experience is why he’s expected to lead in scoring.

Hayton, Lafreniere Expected to Lead Canada

Canada has a couple of players at the top of the board as Barrett Hayton and Alexis Lafreniere are both at +1000. That puts them both right behind Wahlstrom in terms of this prop.

Lafreniere is one of the few returning players for Canada. He was part of last year’s disappointing squad, which ended up playing in just two games. It was particularly sour as Canada hosted the tournament and had hoped for better results. Lafreniere had no points in two games, playing 10:31 minutes per game.

Patrick Kane OHL stats: 58 GP 62G, 83A 145P (2.50 PPG)

Alexis Lafreniere QMJHL stats: 153GP, 102G, 153A, 255P (1.67 PPG)

Lafreniere is said to be the best player in the draft since Connor McDavid.

He’d look great in red. #Blackhawks #NHLProspects pic.twitter.com/BK0IlbGsSj

— Ryan Fedrau (@the_fed_23) December 13, 2019

Lafreniere is the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, so he’s going to attract a lot of attention. There is pressure on him to deliver after Canada’s poor performance last year but he’s also not going to be new to this. Many compare him to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, so he should shine here.

As for Hayton, he looks to be a decent bet for this prop. The Arizona Coyotes forward was loaned to Team Canada after playing for the squad last season. He had more success than Lafreniere, registering four points in five games. In 14 games with the Coyotes this season, he has four points but he’s mostly been sitting out of late.

What’s the Best Bet?

I actually like Quinton Byfield to lead this tournament in points but he’s surprisingly not on the board. He’ll be on a line with Hayton and Dylan Cozens – at least they’ve been together so far. He’s the consensus No. 2 in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft but could pull ahead of Lafreniere if he shines here. He had 57 points in his first 30 games in the OHL this season.

4⃣5⃣ minutes away in Ostrava.

Take a peek at how 🇨🇦 will line up…#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/4oMcsaXsvF

— #WorldJuniors (@WorldJuniors) December 23, 2019

With him not on the board, I’ll go with Hayton. He had 66 points in 39 games in the minors last season and looks poised to be one of Canada’s key contributors in this tournament.

Best Bet: Hayton (+1000)