For now, the focus is on hockey.

Ihs-Wozniak is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wing with speed, smarts and a good shot.

“He’s got a good one-timer, but his release on his wrist shot, I think, is even better,” Vegas director of player development Wil Nichol said.

He had 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) in 36 games for Lulea’s team in Sweden’s junior league in 2023-24, a record for a U17 player, and 57 points (23 goals, 34 assists) in 40 games the following season. He also had seven points (five goals, two assists) in seven games at the 2025 U18 World Championship, helping Sweden win silver.

His mother said when Vegas drafted him, it made news in Adelaide.

Last season, Ihs-Wozniak had 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 36 games for Björklöven in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest pro league.

He has two points (one goal, one assist) through three games in this tournament, skating on the right wing at even strength and the left flank on the power play. In a 6-4 loss to a U.S. split-squad Monday, he scored after getting a step on defenseman Chase Reid, whom the Seattle Kraken selected No. 7 in the 2026 NHL Draft, and was named his team’s player of the game.

The biggest things he must work on are mindset, work ethic and play away from the puck. This tournament is an opportunity for Sweden’s coaches to evaluate him and for him to develop ahead of World Juniors.

“It’s good for us to see him in a small rink against those nations, more like north-south hockey,” Sweden coach Magnus Havelid said. “You have to skate. He’s a goal-scorer, but we know the World Junior is going to be more up and down, so every player needs to do that job, 5-on-5, that kind of game there.”

What would it mean to represent Sweden at World Juniors?

“That’s a dream that everyone has when they’re young,” Ihs-Wozniak said. “Everyone says it, of course, but it’s true. That’s one thing that you work for. You watch World Juniors when you’re young, and you strive to be there, so it would be a really big dream to play there.”

As for pro hockey this season, Ihs-Wozniak’s goal is to play full-time for Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League, his hometown team in his country’s top pro league, after appearing in 32 games for Lulea in the SHL over the past three seasons. He has gained strength in the weight room over the past year.

“Hopefully (he can) have a spot in the lineup in Lulea,” Havelid said. “It’s going to be tough, but I think he’s ready. He’s had a good off-ice period behind him, so now it’s up to him. … More battling, puck battling, stuff like that in a small area, protecting the puck. That’s what he needs to do, develop, and then the situation will come when he can score the goals.”

The Golden Knights always care most about their prospects playing significant roles, not necessarily where they play them. 

“I’ve always got the development hat on,” Nichol said. “It’s more opportunity, ice time. Last year, his development was much better when he got sent down and played for Björklöven than it was when he was up. It’s pro hockey over there. I understand that they need to win, but a lot of times the younger kids can get pushed to the bottom.

“So, if he’s got a great setup and a great role in Lulea this year, that’s great. That’s awesome. If not — and he knows this, and he agrees — then I think it won’t take very long before they (send him down) so he can play the right minutes, the right situations, and develop.”

Ihs-Wozniak knows he will need to develop a complete game to play in Vegas.

“I want to be offensive and play power play, but to play in the NHL, you need to have all the parts,” he said. “I think that’s what I’m working on the most right now. … I need to work on my intensity level and my physical play. I think I’m in the right direction for that, so just (I need to) keep working on that and, of course, (work on) getting a better shot and getting better at everything I’m good at too.”

It has been hard for Ihs-Wozniak to watch the Golden Knights due to the time difference, but he followed their run to the Stanley Cup Final last season from afar. He has been to Las Vegas for two development camps. Maybe he’ll make news in Adelaide again in the future.

“I always want to play on a winning team,” he said. “That’s why you play hockey. You want to win, so it’s perfect that I landed in Vegas.”