As the hockey world trudges through the dog days of the NHL offseason, the prospect scene is heating up with the World Junior Summer Showcase.

This year’s week-long event features top young talent from Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland. All players named to the tournament are now vying for spots in the 2026 World Junior Championships held in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sticking with the tournament host city, this year’s tournament is being held in Minnesota.

The Vancouver Canucks are represented by two prospects this year: Braeden Cootes, named to Team Canada, and Wilson Björck, suiting up for Team Sweden.

Björck wasted no time making an impact in Sweden’s tournament opener against Team USA (Blue), securing a 5-2 victory. Selected by the Canucks in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, he earned first-line minutes alongside Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect Jack Berglund and Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Lucas Pettersson.

He contributed a secondary assist on a Jack Berglund goal for his first point of the showcase.

Now 19, Björck is poised to make a strong case for Sweden’s roster at the upcoming World Junior Championship this winter.

Wilson’s younger brother, Viggo, who’s projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, skated on Sweden’s third line. The Björck brothers dominated the J20 Nationell in 2024-25, together, with Viggo leading the league in scoring and Wilson finishing in second place. As a dominant pair, they powered Djurgårdens to a championship title.

Also named to the team was former Canucks prospect Melvin Fernström, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins after a trade that brought Marcus Pettersson to Vancouver shortly before the NHL trade deadline.

Sweden’s next game is scheduled for Monday at 2:30 PM PT against Team USA (White).

On the Canadian side, Braeden Cootes, officially named to Team Canada on Sunday, will kick off his showcase on Tuesday, July 29. Canada will kick off its week with an intrasquad matchup between Team Canada White and Team Canada Red.

While Canada hasn’t yet announced Cootes’ team assignment, the 18-year-old faces stiff competition. In typical fashion, Team Canada boasts a deep pool of high-calibre prospects, which likely means Cootes will need an exceptional performance to secure a spot for the 2026 World Junior roster.

As a Team Canada fixture, which includes captaining the U18 World Championship team, he is poised to earn a spot before he’s ineligible.

Team Sweden’s schedule:

Monday, July 28 – Versus Team USA at 2:30 pm PT
Thursday, July 30 – Versus Team USA at 11:00 am PT
Friday, August 1 – Versus Team Canada at 11:00 am PT
Saturday, August 2 – Versus Team Finland at 11:00 am PT

Team Canada’s schedule:

Wednesday, July 30 – Versus Team Canada at 2:30 pm PT
Thursday, July 30 – Versus Team Finland at 2:30 pm PT
Friday, August 1 – Versus Team Sweden at 11:00 am PT
Saturday, August 2 – Versus Team USA at 2:30 pm PT