Can NHL players play in World Juniors? Exploring eligibility criteria for 2025 championship

The World Juniors are one of the best sports traditions. Debates and questions arise every year the tournament comes around. One of the most common questions is who is eligible to play in the World Juniors, and can NHL players partake in the action?

Let's dive deeper into the age bracket and NHL player eligibility at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

The age range of players eligible to participate in the World Juniors is from 16 to 19 years old. Players must be under 20 years old as of Dec. 31, the year of the tournament. Therefore, should a player turn 20 after Dec. 31 during the year of the tournament, they remain eligible to participate.

16-year-olds don't often make the WJC unless they are truly a special talent. Connor Bedard is an example. He was the seventh 16-year-old to be selected to play for Canada at the WJC.

Though we do see these rare examples, the majority of players who make their World Junior team tend to be between 17 and 19 years old.

The same rules apply to NHL players. The only thing holding an NHL player who fits in the age bracket back from participating in the tournament is their pro club. That player's team must loan them to play in the World Juniors.

For example, the last two first-overall NHL draft picks, Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, remain eligible to play in the WJC since Celebrini is 18 and Bedard is 19. However, these two young studs are the face of their respective NHL franchises, and because they're so productive, their teams wouldn't let them leave to play in the World Juniors.

Celebrini has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 28 games for the San Jose Sharks, while Bedard has 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 38 games for the Blackhawks. Some other examples are Will Smith of the San Jose Sharks (19 years old) and Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres (19 years old).

On the flip side, Canadians Calum Ritchie and Jett Luchanko both made their NHL debuts this season, appearing in seven and four games, respectively. The difference is their NHL teams, the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers, sent them back to the OHL to continue their development, allowing them to play in the tournament.

World Juniors have gotten off to a thrilling start

From opening night on Boxing Day to New Year's Eve rivalries to elimination game drama, the World Junior Hockey Championship has it all.

We've seen some of it through one week of the 2024-25 tournament. Latvia stunned Canada 3-2 in a shootout for one of the biggest upsets in World Juniors history.

Finland then pulled off a major upset, taking down the USA 4-3 in overtime. On Tuesday night, we saw bitter rivals Canada and the United States in an absolute battle, and it was clear that neither team liked the other.

Have a look at some of the emotions of the rivalry.

With all that has happened, the best is still to come. The elimination rounds begin on Thursday for a full day with games at 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET.