Sascha Boumedienne and what we learned from Day 3 of the U18 Worlds

To say Sascha Boumedienne is well-traveled would be an understatement.

Boumedienne, who is coming off a successful freshman season with Boston University with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 40 games, was born in Finland, grew up in a Swedish family, and moved to the United States at a young age — where he’s played his most important youth hockey seasons.

His dad, Josef Boumedienne, played 47 NHL games in his career along the way.

He’s been an important influence, understandably, on the 2025 NHL Draft eligible. 

“Just have fun every step of the way and enjoy the process,” Boumedienne said. “It’s the best part of your life when you’re young, is what he says, so just staying dialed in and working hard because we do what we love. I was with him everywhere he played too and, I can’t remember all of it, but at the end there, I remember it. It’s pretty cool to grow up with a dad playing hockey at a high level.”

The long-term goal is for the younger Boumedienne to eclipse the family mark set by his pops. 

He’s on his way as the no. 37 prospect in FCHockey’s Spring ranking for the 2025 draft.

A strong showing at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship isn’t going to hurt, either.

Boumedienne, and Sweden, are on their way. The 18-year-old has seven points (one goal, two assists) in two games and Sweden remains undefeated.

Understandably, its a light locker room that has keep things humming.

“I’d definitely say [Filip Ekberg]’s up there,” Boumedienne said. “And then our goalie, Love Harenstam… he’s pretty funny too and gets the guys going. But yeah, we’re a really tight group of guys. Everyone fits in really well and we’re really fun together. So I think that has a big part in our success on the ice too.”

Top Performances

Ekberg keeps it light in the room, and brings the fight on the ice. He was all over Germany’s defensemen as a forechceker,  and set up multiple goals from pick-pocketing the opposition and getting the puck into space. He’s has had an electric start to this tournament with a tournament-leading eight points (four goals, four assists), including a three-helper effort at Germany’s expense.

Milton Gastrin also had a strong performance for Sweden. He added three points (one goal, two assists) to push his total to six points (three goals, three assists) through two games. 

Ryan Roobroeck showed up for Canada in a lopsided 7-1 win against Latvia. The 2026 NHL Draft eligible scored twice, including an excuse-me fumbled deke that found the back of the net. Fellow 2026 eligibles Xavier Villeneuve and Alessandro Di Iorio each had two points (one goal, one assist), too.

Quotables

“It’s super nice. You know what you’re getting and you always get the puck on his stick. Just, yeah, super nice.” – Ekberg on what it’s been like to play with Boumedienne

Scouting report