Tournament legacy
Where many of the game’s
leading players once competed.
These players participated in the tournaments with different teams. They were not Swiss Selects players unless specifically identified as such.
Five consecutive first-overall picks.
One shared tournament history.
The five most recent first-overall NHL Draft selections all competed in World Selects Invitational events during their youth careers. They participated with different teams and were not Swiss Selects players.
2026 · 1st overall
Gavin McKenna
ProHockey 07 — 2019 and 2022 WSI 07 Elite
Toronto Maple Leafs
2025 · 1st overall
Matthew Schaefer
Draftday Hockey — WSI 07 Elite
New York Islanders
2023 · 1st overall
Connor Bedard
Draftday Hockey 05 — 2018 WSI
Chicago Blackhawks
2022 · 1st overall
Juraj Slafkovský
Slovak team — 2017 WSI 04
Montréal Canadiens
Verified player history
Further players whose World Selects Invitational participation is documented in official Play Hockey material, with draft data from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
| Player | Tournament | Draft | Drafted by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artyom Levshunov | WSI U13 and U14 | 2024 · #2 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Beckett Sennecke | WSI and HHOF | 2024 · #3 | Anaheim Ducks |
| Ivan Demidov | WSI U13 and U14 | 2024 · #5 | Montréal Canadiens |
| Berkly Catton | WSI U12 and U13 | 2024 · #8 | Seattle Kraken |
| Zayne Parekh | WSI and HHOF | 2024 · #9 | Calgary Flames |
| Michael Brandsegg-Nygård | WSI — Norway Selects | 2024 · #15 | Detroit Red Wings |
| Trevor Connelly | WSI | 2024 · #19 | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Cole Eiserman | WSI U12 | 2024 · #20 | New York Islanders |
| Ryder Ritchie | WSI | 2024 · #45 | Minnesota Wild |
| Aron Kiviharju | WSI — Finland Selects | 2024 · #122 | Minnesota Wild |
These players participated in World Selects Invitational events with different teams. They did not play for Swiss Selects unless explicitly stated otherwise. Career information verified July 2026.
Sources
Every record needs a source for tournament participation and a separate source for the career data. Search results, fan databases and social posts are not sufficient on their own.