15 Year Old Swiss Forward Makes Incredible History at the 2025 World Juniors Tournament
The World Juniors tournament is a highlight of the hockey calendar, and now a Swiss Forward has made history by competing in the tournament at just 15-years of age.
After months of anticipation, the 2025 World Juniors tournament kicked off on December 26th in Ottawa with some big blowout games, but there was also some impressive history made by an intriguing young Swiss forward.
A late third period goal from Switzerland wasn't enough to keep it close against Czechia as they would ultimately fall 5-1, but a young forward on their team made history in the matchup.
By taking the ice, Neueschwander became just the fifth player in tournament history to partake at age 15, an impressive feat that was last accomplished way back in 2001 by no less than three players.
That came a whole eight years before 2009 when Jonah was born, with the 15-year old a surprise inclusion on the Swiss roster despite obvious talent, given that players at this age are rarely included on World Junior rosters.
While many are keeping an eye on the likes of Gavin McKenna from Team Canada, who is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, Neuenschwander isn't eligible until 2027, and with 24 points in 26 games in a U20 league in Switzerland (where he battles opponents up to five years older than him), it's clear that he's got plenty of talent.
Standing at 6-foot-3, there's clearly no lack of physical size and skill with the talented young forward prospect, and while there's definitely no guarantee that making the team this early will make him a future NHL star, if he can develop his game and build on his strength, it's safe to say that he'll be an intriguing name to watch moving forward.
