With all eyes on the hockey world on the 2024 IIHF World Junior Tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden, the 2023 Upper Deck CHL set is the place to look for some of the tournament’s young stars.
The Canadian Hockey League is the umbrella organization for hockey’s three major junior leagues – the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Close to 25 per cent of the participants in this year’s tournament are from CHL teams. Canada leads the way with 20 CHL players on their roster. The host team, Sweden, is the only team in the tournament without CHL representation.
Macklin Celebrini, the projected first overall pick for the 2024 NHL Draft, is the exception to the rule. He appears in the Upper Deck 2023 Team Canada Juniors set. At 17, he is the youngest player on the Canadian roster but has been their best player in camp and in their first few games of the tournament. Celebrini plays for Boston University, where he has 25 points in 15 games as a Freshman.
For collectors, the CHL set is the primary option to get pre-rookie cards of some of the future NHL stars playing in the tournament. Most of the stars playing in European leagues or in the NCAA have yet to appear in a licenses or authorized hockey card set.
For collectors, here is a rundown of some of the players and their cards to collect from Upper Deck’s CHL sets.
Jordan Dumais, Canada
At 5’9”, 175, Dumais dropped to the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft, where he was drafted by Columbus. Since then, Dumais has been on fire. He went back to the Halifax Mooseheads and scored 54 goals and had 86 assists for 140 points in 64 games to lead the QMJHL in scoring. This season, he is leading junior hockey in points per game (2.24) as he has 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points in just 21 games.
Dumais first appeared in the 2021-22 Upper Deck CHL set.
Matthew Savoie, Canada
Like Dumais, Savoie is leading his league in scoring. Savoie has been on the radar from a young age. He was the first pick in the WHL Draft in 2019, joining the Winnipeg Ice and earning seven assists in 22 games.
From there, the 5’10”, 180-pound center had 90 points in 65 games in 2021-22, and 95 points in 2022-23. This season, with the Ice relocating to Wenatchee, Washington, Savoie has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 11 games. He was drafted ninth overall by the Buffalo Sabres and he did play in a game for them this season, making him eligible to appear in NHL cards. He also played six games with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester and had two goals and three assists for five points in six games, meaning he will be available for Upper Deck to put in NHL late season products.
His first Upper Deck cards are in the 2019-20 CHL set.
Carson Rehkopf, Canada
A dynamic offensive player who was a second round draft pick of the Seattle Kraken in the 2023 NHL Draft, Rehkopf joined Team Canada after scoring 31 goals in the first 31 games of the OHL season for the Kitchener Rangers. The 6’, 195 pound center added 24 assists to give him 55 points. He has almost matched his production for the entire 2022-23 season, in which he had 59 points in 68 games.
Rehkopf scored two goals in the first three games of the WJC. His first appearance on a card was in the 2021-22 Upper Deck CHL set.
Fraser Minten, Canada
A second round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Minten also got to have a cup of coffee in the NHL and will be eligible to be in late season Upper Deck NHL sets.
Minten is playing on a line with Dumais and Celebrini in the World Juniors. He began the season in the NHL with the Leafs before getting sent back to the WHL. He played three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers but was traded to the Saskatoon Blades this year. Between the two teams, he has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points between the two teams.
He is eligible for 2023-24 Upper Deck NHL products. His first Upper Deck CHL cards are in the 2021-22 CHL set.
Matthew Poitras, Canada
The playmaking center has more NHL experience then any player in the tournament. The 19-year-old was a second round pick of the Bruins in 2022, and he began the season in Boston with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 27 games. Last year with the Guelph Storm of the OHL, Poitras had 16 goals and 79 assists for 95 points in 63 games.
You can find him on some CHL cards and Upper Deck Game Dated Moments. Look for him in Upper Deck late season NHL releases.
Conor Geekie, Canada
Geekie is the complete package. He is a big, skilled forward with an edge to his game. The 6’4”, 200-pound center was drafted 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2022. Some scouts have said he is the most NHL ready of the strong Canadian forwards. He is in his fourth season in the WHL, and through 26 games with the Wenatchee Wild, he has 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points.
Geekie’s first cards are in the 2021-22 Upper Deck CHL set.
Dalibor Dvorsky, Slovakia
The highly-skilled center from Slovakia was drafted 10th overall by St. Louis in 2023. He is playing in his third World Junior Tournament.
Dvorsky is 6’1” and slightly more than 200 pounds. He played junior hockey in Sweden before joining the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves this year. In 20 games, he has 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points.
While playing in Sweden, Dvorsky was featured in several SportZoo sets from Europe, with his first cards coming out in 2020-21. Expect to see him having a marquee role in the 2023-24 Upper Deck CHL set this year.
Jiri Kulich, Czechia
After being drafted in the first round of the 2022 NHL draft by Buffalo, Kulich opted to play in the AHL for the Rochester Americans. Had he been a North American player, he would have to go back to junior hockey.
As a rookie in the AHL, Kulich had 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 64 games. This season, he has 16 goals in 23 games for the Amerks. He was also called up to play for the Sabres for a game, making him eligible for Upper Deck’s NHL products.
You can find his cards in Upper Deck’s 2022-23 AHL hockey card set.
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