They have a clear goal of winning World Cup gold on home soil and getting into the top company, where hockey giants like the United States and Canada await them.

The pressure is certainly present on the young Norwegian talents. No less important is knowing that the best clubs in the world have sent scouts to hone their skills.

Several of the Norwegian talents are already followed by clubs in North America. Positioning ahead of the NHL Draft is ongoing all the time. This week in December, talents have the opportunity to capture the interest of new clubs and convince those who are already interested.

One of the scouts is open to TV 2 that he is already closely monitoring several Norwegian players, and that one player in particular is closely followed.

– The most exciting

There are a total of 70 NHL scouts who have confirmed they will come to Varner Arena. Some scouts will only be there for 1-2 matches. Others plan to be in place for the entire championship.

That means some of the NHL’s 32 clubs are sending more scouts. All NHL clubs have scouts who live and work in Europe.

TV 2 spoke to Edmonton Oilers scout Joakim Holm. He has no doubts about the Norwegian talent that impressed him the most.

– The most exciting player was born at the end of 2005. It’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygård. We won’t be able to draft him next year, but we’ll keep an eye on him. He is a good player, who is very good offensively and also works hard defensively. He did well in Mora. For me, he is now the most exciting player to follow, confides the scout who will be present at the Varner Arena on Sunday and Monday.

Holm clearly followed the 17-year-old. When TV 2 calls, he knows almost exactly how many games he has played for Mora’s U20 and A team and how many points he has.

The scout believes that many clubs are watching the Norwegian closely and that over time he will be very relevant for the NHL draft. Holm didn’t meet Brandsegg-Nygård, but he heard a lot of good things about him.

TV 2 has also been in contact with Detroit Red Wings scout Thomas Carlsson. He also names Brandsegg-Nygård as the Norwegian player he considers the most exciting.

He also mentions teammate Petter Vesterheim as a player he follows.

– Then there are two players born in 2004 who didn’t go to the draft, but who are interesting. The first is Martin Johnsen. He’s a smart playmaker who creates a lot in the offensive zone, sends a lot of good passes and sets up his teammates in a terrific way, says Holm.

The last talent he highlights is Sander Wold. Holm previously worked for Frölunda. Then he helped bring Wold to the club. He still follows the Asker man.

– He’s a great guy. He works hard. You always know what you get from him. It’s good both ways, he says.

– Additional motivation

– It’s cool that so many scouts come to Asker to watch the games. We have many exciting players in the team, who have the opportunity to show themselves before the draft. I think it’s important for all the guys to put their shoulders down and play their game. A lot of us are used to playing in front of quite a few scouts, especially in Sweden, Färjestad player Martin Johnsen tells TV 2 .

Sander Wold, like Johnsen, plays in Sweden and is one of the Norwegian players who has caught the NHL’s interest.

He is clear on what is the main objective before the championship.

– Of course it’s cool and exciting if so many people make the trip to Norway. At the same time, I think it’s important that we players don’t focus too much on that. We play to climb. This should be our main goal. Then we’d rather have the scouts in the stands as a little bonus and extra motivation, says Wold.

Hamarsing’s Markus Stensrud will in all likelihood be the first Norwegian goalkeeper in the Varner Arena. He thinks it’s funny that so many scouts follow him.

– It’s cool that there is interest in the tournament, also from across the pond. We have a lot of good players who I hope can make a good impression. At the same time, the team is the most important thing and the goal is to do the best we can. The goal is promotion, says the Colombian half-keeper nicknamed “Pablo”.

Top Rated

Norway competes in the WC 1, Group A division, which is the second highest tier for U20 national teams.

The ranking of participating countries is as follows:

1. Norway

2.Kazakhstan

3. Denmark

4.France

5. Hungary

6. Slovenia

All teams meet once. The team with the most points at the end advances.

Norway has a clear objective to manage it.

On Sunday, December 11 at 4:30 p.m., the puck will fall in Norway’s opener against Slovenia. You can watch the game from Varner Arena on TV 2 Play and TV 2 Sport 2.