Finland’s Eeli Tolvanen Favored to be Top Goalscorer at 2019 IIHF U20 (World Juniors) Tournament

• Finland’s Eeli Tolvanen is favored to lead the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in goal scoring
• Tolvanen was loaned to Finland by the NHL’s Nashville Predators
• It’s his third year in the tournament

The world junior championship, which gets underway Dec. 26, is traditionally an event dominated by 19 year olds and Eeli Tolvanen fills that bill.

He was a late addition to the Finnish team, loaned to the Finns by the Nashville Predators, who selected Tolvanen in the first round of the 2017 NHL entry draft.

Pregame reading: https://t.co/gngP5CGdix

— Paul Skrbina (@PaulSkrbina) December 22, 2018

Oddsmakers believe in Tolvanen, and has ranked him as the favorite to lead the tournament in goal scoring.

Odds to Lead IIHF U20 World Championship in Goals

Two Finns have topped the world juniors in scoring in the past five years – Patrik Laine in 2016 and Saku Maenalanen in 2014.

The Book On Eeli

Tolvanen takes a goalscorer’s approach to the ice. He likes to shoot the puck and does it often, and can thread a needle with the accuracy of his shot.

Eeli Tolvanen appears ready for the World Juniors pic.twitter.com/Bxq6LBElbg

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) December 24, 2018

The Finns are a young but extremely talented team and Tolvanen offers significant international experience.

He’s scored two goals in each of the last two world junior tourneys and also netted a pair of goals for Finland at the 2018 senior world championship.

Challengers To Tolvanen

The top 2018 draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, Filip Zadina (Czech Republic), has struggled in his first pro season with AHL Grand Rapids, but he scored 44 goals last season for Halifax (QMJHL).

Zadina was second in the 2018 world juniors with seven goals and his set-up man Martin Necas is also back this year.

Best of luck in the @IIHFHockey World Junior Championship, @filip_zadina! 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/An2H0758Od

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) December 20, 2018

Russia’s Vitali Kravtsov also plays against men in the KHL, as does teammate Klim Kostin with San Antonio (AHL), and both are NHL first-round draft picks.

The Facts On Jack Hughes

The last time a generational forward suited up for Team USA, it was Auston Matthews, and he shared the tournament goalscoring lead with Laine.

So should you give Jack Hughes a look at +1600?

NHL scouts can't stop thinking about consensus No. 1 pick Jack Hughes. And after a lifetime spent dominating every level of hockey he's played, Jack Hughes is ready to start thinking about the NHL.

(@GareJoyceNHL)https://t.co/yZhQA1eHqM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 26, 2018

Hughes, the consensus first-overall pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft, projects more as a playmaker than a pure goalscorer.

With the USNTDP this season, Hughes shows 10-38-48 numbers in 25 games.

Canada’s Goal Is To Win The Tournament

Oddsmakers rate Canada as the +105 favorite to win it all, but wagering on a Canadian to lead to the goalscoring race would be foolhardy.

Canada preaches the team concept, and although the Canadians won last year, Sam Steel’s team-leading four goals was well off the tournament-best nine scored by Team USA’s Kieffer Bellows.

Happy #BoxingDay Canada 🏒🇨🇦 #WorldJuniors | #Represent pic.twitter.com/AUHWctT4RZ

— Toronto Sportsgirl 🇨🇦 (@TO_sportsgirl) December 26, 2018

Only once in the past five world juniors has a Canadian led the tournament in goals.

Look for the goal-scoring battle to be a race between Tolvanen and Zadina, with Kostin holding an outside shot.