2025 World Juniors Preview: Team USA hopes to win consecutive golds for first time ever

Credit: (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

The United States of America has won gold six times in World Junior Championship history, including twice this decade. But they’ve never once won gold in consecutive years – in fact, they’ve never won two in three tournaments, either.

Could that finally change this year? They sure hope so, especially on Canadian ice.

Expectations are always extremely high for a group built upon the basis of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The USNTDP is one of the premier development groups in the sport, with 19 players on this group having skated for them at some point over the past few years. You’ve got a handful of gold medal champions at the U-17 and U-18 level, and 10 players from last year’s championship effort are back for another go.

Looking Back to 2024

It’s hard to beat a perfect record. The Americans won every single game in 2024, starting with a 4-1 win over Norway. They looked a bit more dominant in an 11-3 romp over Switzerland on Dec. 28, the team’s most dominant victory of the tourney. They needed a shootout to beat Czechia on Dec. 29, though, only winning 4-3 against a Czech team chasing top spot in Group B. The Americans then clinched top spot in the group with a 10-2 victory over Slovakia, another team chasing top spot at the time.

The United States entered the playoff round feeling hot, having scored a tournament-leading 29 goals at the time. They then crushed Latvia by a score of 7-2 in the quarterfinal and earned the top spot in the re-seed – meaning a date with Finland was in order. Finland got off to a strong start, giving the Americans a scare with an early 2-0 lead. The United States had the upper hand the rest of the way, winning the game 3-2 after an excellent second half.

That meant a trip to the final game against Sweden, with the Tre Kronor looking to thrill the fans on home ice. It was a close game heading into the third, with USA leading 3-2. But an early third-period goal from Zeev Buium proved too much for Sweden, who then saw Leonard and Rutger McGroarty score goals to close out the victory for the Americans.

Goaltenders

*Trey Augustine (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

After being the United States’ starter the past two years – and his continued play as one of the top goalies in the NCAA this year – Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) has the crease on lockdown this year. He’s the top goaltender in the tournament, and is one of the best goalie prospects across the NHL, period. Augustine is putting up some outstanding numbers as a college sophomore, registering an 11-2-1 record with two shutouts and a .930 save percentage. He has a great team in front of him, sure, but Augustine has managed to be an absolute star at every level he has ever played in and has a near perfect record at the World Juniors, too.

Hampton Slukynsky is a solid backup who was arguably the best goaltender at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He hasn’t played a ton in the NCAA this year, but the Los Angeles Kings prospect has performed well enough in his starts to make it an easy choice to crown him the backup this year. Undrafted goaltender Sam Hillebrandt will return for a second go-around, but he’s not expected to play again this year after making it as a surprise third choice in 2024.

From an overall standpoint, this goalie trio means business. If Augustine gets injured or falters along the way, Slukynsky is as good of a backup as you’ll find at a tournament like this. This position is typically a strength for the Americans (remember that 2018 tourney with Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll?) and the 2025 team is no different.

Defensemen

*Cole Hutson (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

The Americans will bring back three players from last year – Minnesota Wild’s Zeev Buium, New York Rangers’ Drew Fortescue and Dallas Stars prospect Aram Minnetian. Minnetian was a reserve player last year, but could slide into a bottom-pairing or seventh-D role this time around. Buium and Fortescue, meanwhile, should lock out the top pair this year.

Buium will be one of USA’s most important players after pushing his way up the lineup a year ago. he is so good at controlling the puck and might be one of the best passers of any defenseman in this class. He’s a top-end transition defender with incredible hockey sense, allowing him to put up the incredible numbers we saw all season long. Fortescue, meanwhile, is the more defensively conscious option here, combining hockey sense and mobility to take space away at all times.

Look for Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals) to be a consistent presence on one of the power play units. Like his brother Lane, Cole loves to move the puck and is incredibly dynamic. It’ll be interesting to see who he gets paired with – perhaps someone a bit more defensively sound like Minnetian or Logan Hensler? Hensler is one of the top defensemen for the 2025 NHL Draft, with his combination of size and mobility being intriguing.

One name that won’t receive a ton of hype on this team is Paul Fischer. The Edmonton Oilers prospect had a nice showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase and is having a solid sophomore campaign at the University of Notre Dame. He’s not dominant with the puck, but he’s eating minutes for breakfast in college. Having a guy who primarily plays 22+ minutes a night will be a big boost for this squad, that’s for sure.

With skilled puck movers like Buium and Hutson and strong defensively minded blueliners like Fischer and Fortescue, the Americans will have one of the best bluelines in the tournament. They’ll need it to shut down Canada on Dec. 31, and it helps that most of the players have played together in some capacity already.

Forwards

*Gabe Perreault (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Between high-scoring college stars to energetic bottom-sixers, this is a strong, deep American forward group. The top line should be composed of the Boston College trio – Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers), James Hagens (2025 NHL Draft) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals). Don’t swap them, don’t try and overthink it. They’re going to be the best line in the tournament, and they’re going to rip teams apart on the power play. If training camp was anything to come by, it’s that they’re firing on all cylinders and should be among the top scorers when the tournament comes to a close.

One potential pairing to keep an eye on are Cole Eiserman (New York Islanders) and Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights). We saw them together at the All-American Prospects Game last year, and they brought energy and offense to every shift. Both are capable of getting pucks where they need to be and have great shots to boot. Having Oliver Moore (Chicago Blackhawks) bring his speed and work ethic between them will make for a dynamic line with the power to overpower just about anyone. Moore is going to be a great two-way player in the NHL because he’s as competitive as it gets – this will be a good showcase for him after stepping up to play top-line minutes at times last year.

Islanders‘ draft pick Danny Nelson will never be a flashy or exciting player, but he’s one of the better 200-foot players on this team. He has put up some solid numbers the past two years with Notre Dame, but his commitment to win puck battles with his 6-foot-3 frame and general hockey sense makes him very effective as a potential third-line center. Brodie Ziemer, a Buffalo Sabres pick, would be a decent complimentary option because of his two-way play, as well. Hes also scoring at a rate nobody really expected this season, either, so look for him to generate some secondary offense.

Two other names to watch are Anaheim Ducks prospect Austin Burnevik and Nashville Predators product Teddy Stiga. Burnevik played in the bumper position on the power play during training camp, using his 6-foot-4 frame to win battles. He’s a smart forward with some power-forward tendencies, and his numbers as a college freshman have been excellent. It’s not too bad for a player who was essentially demoted from the USNTDP U-18 team in 2023. Stiga, meanwhile, is one of the hardest-working players on this team, often looking to land an energy-shifting hit before trying to score just seconds later. You can throw Stiga anywhere in the lineup and get results – similar to Moore a year ago.

2025 NHL Draft

*James Hagens (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

It’s rare to see a draft-eligible prospect play a top-line role, but Hagens is fully deserving of the tag this year. He showed tremendous chemistry with Perreault and Leonard right away and has continuously shown this year why he’s a potential No. 1 pick this season. While his game isn’t completely the same, you can find some similarities in the way Hagens plays to that of Jack Hughes – speedy, skill, hockey IQ and two-way reliability. At a tournament like this, USA is going to rely on Hagens in all situations, just like they have at the U-17 and U-18 level. It’s unlikely he’ll break the all-time scoring record at the WJCs like he did in the other major international junior tournaments, but you can expect to see him near the top of the tournament points lead, regardless.

Hensler made noise thanks to a hot start with the USNTDP U-18 team last year but has never really backed it up with his numbers. Now playing with Wisconsin, he still isn’t producing much, but he defends and moves well. At his best, Hensler is very involved at both ends of the ice, but he needs to move with more urgency to be effective at the next level. Still, I see a raw defender with second-pairing potential. I expect him to be more a depth defender on this team, but his size and defensive awareness will allow him to have a positive impact.

Projection

This is a rock-solid roster from start to finish. From core players being familiar to each other to some of the best depth available at every position, this is a clean-cut American team with so many dangerous elements to them. History might not be on USA’s side, but they rarely have a group this strong in back-to-back years. A total of 14 players on this team were taken in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft, and Hagens has a realistic shot at going No. 1. It’s hard to find this much skill in any year.

Canada might have a bit more pure skill, but it’s hard to bet against the Americans whenever the World Juniors come along. With a well-thought-out forward group, a stout blueline and one of the best – if not THE best – goaltender in the tournament, USA should find themselves in the gold medal game this year. The battle against Canada on Dec. 31 will likely decide who finishes in the top spot in Group A – and that win is going to matter to help them get the best quarterfinal placement possible.

Anything short of gold this year will be a disappointment.

Round-Robin Schedule

Dec. 26 vs. Germany: 2:30 PM ET
Dec. 28 vs. Latvia: 3:30 PM ET
Dec. 29 vs. Finland: 2:30 PM ET
Dec. 31 vs. Canada: 8:00 PM ET

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