The World Junior Hockey Championship can serve as a coming out party for emerging talent.

Consider last year's tournament, when the play of explosive winger Patrik Laine, who finished third in tournament scoring with 13 points in seven games, helped secure Finland's second gold medal since 2014.

That performance saw Laine climb several spots in the 2016 NHL Draft, as he was selected second to only Toronto's Auston Matthews.

This year's edition of the world juniors has plenty of talent of its own. With that in mind, here are 10 players to keep an eye on:

Pierre-Luc Dubois - Canada

The Columbus Blue Jackets' third overall pick in the 2016 draft has a solid frame and the offensive talent to go with it, so it's fair to say he'll play a key role on Canada's scoring lines.

A native of Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, Pierre-Luc Dubois is strong at both ends of the ice, while the early scouting reports have compared his game to Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar. With Cape Breton (QMJHL) this season, Dubois has tallied 18 points in 20 games.

The tournament will mark his first appearance at the world juniors, after he didn't make the final cut last year.

Jeremy Bracco - United States

Jeremy Bracco doesn't let his lack of size keep him off the scoresheet.

The diminutive winger stars for the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, with whom he's put up a staggering 51 points through 27 games this season. That after tallying 64 points in 49 games with the Rangers a year ago. The product of Freeport, N.Y., was originally recruited by Boston College before leaving for Kitchener.

Bracco, selected in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be make his first appearance in the world juniors.

Dylan Strome - Canada

Chosen to captain Team Canada, Dylan Strome is a returnee to the world juniors after leading the team in scoring last year, when Canada finished a disappointing sixth place. He'll look to avenge that performance this time around.

Strome also serves as captain of his junior club, the OHL's Erie Otters, with whom he's tallied an impressive 16 points in just seven games this season, after being returned to the OHL by the Arizona Coyotes, who drafted him third overall in 2015.

The native of Mississauga, Ontario, hasn't been short on offense through his development years, scoring 295 points in 191 games with Erie.

Nico Hischier - Switzerland

Nico Hischier has the chance to become one of Switzerland's better known hockey talents, joining a group headlined by the likes of Mark Streit, Roman Josi, and Nino Niederreiter.

That's because his game is built for offense. A star player with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, Hischier is a creative center who has tallied 48 points in 31 games this season.

He'll be a top pick in this summer's NHL draft, with the most recent draft rankings by ISS Hockey placing the Naters-born forward as the eighth-best available talent. Hischier recorded two assists with Switzerland at last year's world juniors entry.

Eeli Tolvanen - Finland

Among the top-ranked Finns in this year's draft, Eeli Tolvanen is known for his scoring touch and impressive release, which are already of NHL quality.

Starring with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, Tolvanen paces his team in both goals (16) and points (27) through 23 games. The 17-year-old will finish the year in the USHL and has committed to Boston College next season.

Ranked No. 9 by ISS, Tolvanen will make his first appearance at the world juniors. He previously appeared at the Under-18s with Finland, posting seven goals and two assists in seven games.

Elias Pettersson - Sweden

Sweden is a tournament favorite, and a big reason why is the inclusion of lanky playmaker Elias Pettersson.

Ranked 13th by ISS, Pettersson will make his first appearance at the world juniors, although he's not short on experience on the international stage. At last year's Under-18 tournament, he tallied a goal and seven assists through seven games.

The Sundsvall native plays with Timra IK in Sweden, where he leads his team with 27 points in 27 games.

Martin Necas - Czech Republic

It has been a few down years for Czech hockey talent, but forward Martin Necas could play a big part in reversing that trend.

Necas is an elusive playmaker whose on-ice vision is always apparent. He plays for the HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, and has tallied six goals and seven assists through 29 games this season.

Ranked 19th overall by ISS, Necas will make his first showing at the world juniors. He tallied five points in five games in the Under-17 tournament.

Mikhail Sergachev - Russia

Like Team Russia, the Montreal Canadiens liked what they saw in Mikhail Sergachev, opting to draft the hulking blue-liner with the ninth overall pick in June's draft.

The smooth-skating and offensively-creative defenseman is effective on both sides of the blue line. It's that type of play that has enabled him to put up 15 points in 18 games with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. He also saw an early showing with the Canadiens, as the 18-year-old played three games in the NHL at the start of the season.

The Nizhnekamsk, Russia, product will be making his first appearance at the world juniors.

Charlie McAvoy - United States

The United States boasts an impressive blue line, and it begins with Charlie McAvoy of Boston University, who was drafted by the Boston Bruins in June.

McAvoy is a strong two-way defender who plays a physical brand of hockey. Born in Long Beach, N.Y., he'll make his second appearance at the world juniors. While he was held pointless in seven tournament games last year, he also held down a plus-five rating over that stretch.

McAvoy has tallied 13 points in 17 games in the NCAA this year, after scoring 25 in 37 with Boston a year ago.

Ilya Samsonov - Russia

Solid goaltending is key in any short tournament, and Russia has a gem in Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Samsonov.

Playing with the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Samsonov has just one loss on the season, racking up a 12-1-3 record through 19 games, with a .936 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average.

Samsonov, who hails from Magnitogorsk, appeared in two games at last year's world juniors, posting a spectacular .956 save percentage and 1.00 GAA, as Russia finished with the silver medal.

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