We're exactly two months away from the start of the 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, which is being held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. It marks the third time that Edmonton has hosted the tournament this decade following the 2021 and 2022 tournaments, which were won by the United States and Canada, respectively.
The IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, more commonly known as the World Juniors, is a holiday staple for fans across the globe and several members of the Montreal Canadiens have made their own impact at the tournament over the years.
Jacob Fowler and Lane Hutson helped the United States capture gold at the 2024 tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden. Meanwhile at the 2021 tournament in Edmonton, Cole Caufield and the United States won gold, defeating Kaiden Guhle, Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach in the final.
While Montreal's top prospects have either aged-out or their nation is ineligible to participate in IIHF tournaments, the Canadiens will likely have a few players in Alberta this December. Let's take a look at which of those Canadiens prospects could represent their nation at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
Which Montreal Canadiens Prospects Could We See at the 2027 World Juniors?
L.J. Mooney (United States)
While he might be off to a slow start to his second season in the NCAA, there's no question that L.J. Mooney has a really good chance at representing the United States at the 2027 World Juniors in December.
Mooney, a fourth round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, is a small, but skilled forward that has some bite to his game. The 19-year-old made the United States' roster for last year's tournament in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota, picking up three assists in five games. It was a disappointing ending for the United States, who fell to Finland in overtime in the quarterfinals.
The West Mifflin, Pennsylvania native might have the opportunity to wear a letter on his sweater given the experience he would bring to the United States' roster as a returning player.
Tyler Deakos (Canada)
Recently named Western Hockey League Player of the Week Tyler Deakos is looking for his first opportunity on the international stage as he chases down a spot on Canada's roster this winter.
Deakos, who is committed to the University of Massachusetts for the 2027-28 season, signed with the Western Hockey League's Penticton Vees back in April. The new CHL-NCAA agreement allowed Deakos to play major junior hockey in Canada, while retaining his ability to suit up in college down in the United States in the years to come.
It's been a really good start to the 2026-27 season for Deakos, who has registered 15 points (five goals, ten assists) in 15 games for Penticton. If he's able to sustain this level of production over the next six weeks, don't be surprised if Deakos' name emerges on Canada's World Junior Selection Camp roster.
Carlos Handel (Germany)
After two seasons in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads, Montreal Canadiens defensive prospect Carlos Handel decided to return to his home nation of Germany, signing a one-year deal with DEL club Kolner Haie.
Handel has been tested at the professional level and as of Monday, hasn't registered any points and is a minus-two in 11 games, with Kolner Haie sitting seventh in the DEL standings. Sending the Erlangen native to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship to help boost his confidence a bit seems like a no-brainer at this point and it goes without saying that the German Ice Hockey Federation expects him to play a big role on the blue line in December.
The 19-year-old has represented Germany at the World Juniors in each of the past two years. At the 2025 tournament in Ottawa, Handel helped Germany avoid relegation to Division 1A by defeating Kazakhstan. The following year, Germany found themselves in the relegation round once again, but managed to stay up in the top division by beating Denmark 8-4. Handel has three assists in that game.
Timofei Runtso (United States)
Defenseman Timofei Runtso, a second round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in June's draft, is looking to make his international debut for the United States in December after being on their roster for the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan.
Runtso, a native of Marina del Rey, California, has never had an opportunity to represent the United States on the international stage and after a strong year with the Western Hockey League's Victoria Royals in 2025-26, where he had 44 points (11 goals, 33 assists), he certainly put himself on USA Hockey's radar.
After one year in the WHL, Runtso returned to the United States and is currently suiting up in the NCAA for Miami University (Ohio), where he's gone pointless and is a plus-three in two games.
The 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship will get underway on Saturday, December 26th with four games - Czechia vs Norway (2 pm ET/12 pm local), Sweden vs Finland (4:30 pm ET/2:30 pm local), Canada vs Switzerland (7 pm ET/5 pm local) and United States vs Germany (9:30 pm ET/7:30 pm local).