Six years ago, Danish left back Lasse Møller was named the MVP of the 2017 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship. 10 years ago, Alex Dujshebaev was the All-Star right back in the world handball flagship competition for Under-21 players. And 14 years ago, Egypt’s Karim Hendawy and right wing Patrick Groetzki made the All-Star team at the 2009 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.

The pattern is there, and plenty of players have shined in the younger age categories before making their mark in handball. With the 24th edition of the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship ready to start in Germany and Greece, it is time to see the players with huge potential ready to deliver in the competition.

Some have already made their mark in senior handball, having already featured at the IHF Men’s World Championship. Others have impressed at club level and are also ready to write history for their national teams.

Jan Gurri Aregay (Spain)

With over 240 goals scored in the younger age categories for Spain’s national teams, the centre back has a unique set of skills: he can shoot, he can break through, he can dribble, and he has excellent speed for a player of his height – 1.90m. While not making the All-Star team at the M20 EHF EURO 2022, he was an integral part of Spain’s success, winning the gold medal last summer in the continental competition.

Now 21 years old, Gurri Aregay had a truly successful season in the EHF European League Men with his side Fraikin BM. Granollers. He scored 53 goals on the way to the final, where Granollers lost against Füchse Berlin. His talent raised many eyebrows in Europe, and it was enough to make Portuguese side Sporting CP pay a fee to sign him up this summer.

Thomas Sommer Arnoldsen (Denmark)

If Gurri Aregay did not make the All-Star team as the top centre back at the M20 EHF EURO 2022, it was because Thomas Sommer Arnoldsen had an even better tournament. Denmark’s centre back was the second-best scorer in the competition with 54 goals, four less than Portugal’s Francisco Mota da Costa, but was instrumental for the Scandinavian side in finishing on the eighth place, scoring at will throughout the seven games played.

Sommer Arnoldsen also had an amazing season in the second-tier European competition with 60 goals for Skanderborg-Aarhus, which confirmed his huge talent. The 21-year-old centre back will move to Aalborg Håndbold this summer, where he will team up with stars like Mikkel Hansen or Niklas Landin Jacobsen.

Mohab Abdelhak (Egypt)

Egypt have a lengthy history of announcing excellent players in these younger age category events. Therefore, we might find a new star, a new diamond in the rough in this side, which aims to finish as high as possible at Germany/Greece 2023.

It might just be right back Mohab Abdelhak, who already featured for “The Pharaohs” at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, where he duly played a part in the competition. He was the youngest player in the squad, aged only 20 years old, but had 18 goals from 31 shots, displaying a lot of grit and courage in the process. That experience could prove crucial, as Abdelhak looks like one, if not the leader that Egypt need, being also the captain of this junior team at Germany/Greece 2023.

Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu and Hákun West av Teigum (Faroe Islands)

One year ago, at the M20 EHF EURO 2022, the Faroe Islands secured a 33:32 win over Denmark, the first time ever that a Faroese team beat Denmark in a team sport. The former IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship winner looked better and better, and the senior team made it to the EHF EURO 2024 for the first time in their history. And a huge part of that success is due to centre back Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu and right wing Hákun West av Teigum.

West av Teigum scored at least 10 goals in two qualification matches, against Romania and Austria, and was snapped up by Füchse Berlin from the next season, while Ellefsen á Skipagøtu’s talent shined through so bright both at club level for IK Sävehof and at the national team level that he was signed by German powerhouse THW Kiel. They already have a huge experience, with West av Teigum scoring 68 goals in EHF European League Men this season, as the Faroe pair can be considered some of the most experienced players in the competition at Germany/Greece 2023.

Dominik Kuzmanović (Croatia)

This will be the last tournament at the junior level for Kuzmanović, who is already 21 years old, but he projects to be an outstanding goalkeeper. With excellent displays for club team RK Nexe Našice in the EHF European League Men, Kuzmanović attracted the interest of many clubs, but also made his debut in the senior national team.

The shot-stopper made his debut at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, where he saved 14 shots from the 65 he faced, boasting a 22% saving efficiency for Croatia in the four games he played. He already has excellent experience for a player of his age in international competitions. Therefore, he could be crucial for Croatia at Germany/Greece 2023.

Renars Uščins (Germany)

Uščins is projected to be one of Germany’s star backs in the future, having already been shining in the younger age categories for the European side. The right back made the All-Star team at the M19 EHF EURO 2021, helping his team win the title, yet he was hampered by an injury at the M20 EHF EURO 2022, where Germany ended up on the seventh place.

Still, he has experience in the German Bundesliga, where he scored 64 goals for TSV Hannover Burgdorf last season. It will also probably help that Germany will play the preliminary round games against Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in the Swiss Life Hall in Hanover, which should make Uščins feel at ease and create a good environment for his games.

Zoran Ilić (Hungary)

Ilić made his debut for Telekom Veszprém HC in the EHF Champions League Men four seasons ago when he was only 16 years old. He was loaned to Orlen Wisła Płock before coming back and acting as a rotation player this season, where he scored 22 goals in the European premium competition.

A towering right back, which is 1.97m tall, Ilic has a cannon of an arm with very strong shots, which earned him a place in Hungary men’s senior national team at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship. He scored 10 goals for the side, which finished eighth at Poland/Sweden 2023, but he is likely to be the next best thing on the right back position in the future for the European side.

Mitja Janc (Slovenia)

Blaz Janc’s younger brother, Mitja, has been nothing short of outstanding in the last few years, as he was named the MVP and the All-Star centre back at the M19 EHF EURO 2021. He was also the fulcrum of Slovenia’s attack at the M20 EHF EURO 2022, but the European side failed to get anything going in Portugal one summer ago, especially after Janc suffered an injury.

The 20-year-old centre back also made his debut in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League this season for RK Celje Pivovarna Laško, scoring 16 goals and gaining valuable experience, as Slovenia are trying to build back the form they had at the M19 EHF EURO 2021, where they ended up on the fourth place.

Felix Möller (Sweden)

An EHF EURO winner with Sweden’s senior national team in 2022, Felix Möller projects to be an excellent line player. Tall, strong, and the backbone of Sweden’s defence, Möller was an integral part of Sweden’s side, which finished fourth at the M20 EHF EURO 2022 last summer.

At only 18 years old, he scored 33 goals for IK Sävehof in the EHF European League Men two seasons ago, and he was a star player for his side this season in the Swedish league.

Photos: Lars Møller/ Christoffer Borg Mattisson/Swedish Handball Federation