2025 World Juniors: Top standouts from USA vs. Latvia
OTTAWA – The United States improved to 2-0 on the tournament after beating an inspired Latvian team 5-1 on Saturday.
USA will look to stay hot with a meeting against the 1-1 Finnish team on Sunday, while Latvia will take on the Germans on Monday.
Danny Nelson led the way for the Americans, scoring two goals, with assists from fellow New York Islanders prospect Cole Eiserman. Ryan Leonard and Zeev Buium both scored for the Americans, showing that the big guns mean business. Latvia did get a late goal, with Davids Livsics converting on a bouncing puck to make it 4-1. At that point, though, it was far too late for the Latvians to get back in it, with Max Plante scoring one late to finish the scoring.
USA
#12 James Hagens, C (2025 NHL Draft): Hagens had a pair of primary assists on excellent plays in the second period. He loves distributing in open space, and he’s especially good at setting up his good buddy and Boston College teammate Ryan Leonard. With Canada’s Matthew Schaefer out for the tournament and Porter Martone playing deeper in the lineup, Hagens has had a chance to show why many consider him to be the top prospect in the 2025 NHL Draft. Sitting at six points through two games doesn’t hurt, either.
#30 Hampton Slukynsky, G (Los Angeles Kings): After a bit of an iffy game from Trey Augustine, Slukynsky took the reigns and looked great against the Latvians. He stopped almost every shot sent his way, which included a busy opening 40 minutes for the American keeper. His glove hand was on point, and his reactions seemed quicker than I remember him from his draft year. Look for Augustine to go the distance from here, but Slukynsky proved that he can handle anything thrown at him.
#91 Cole Eiserman, LW (New York Islanders): Eiserman had an electric second period, leading all players with four shots. They were all quality chances, too, and he nearly had a fifth that would have gone in if it wasn’t for a huge block by a Latvian penalty killer. Add in the two assists on both of Nelson’s goals for good measure and it’s a good sign to see him thriving right now.
#17 Danny Nelson, C (New York Islanders): Nelson isn’t known for his scoring, but he had a pair today. He started the scoring at 1:58 when he took Eiserman’s feed in front of the net and continued it with a power-play marker with six seconds left in the middle stanza. His defensive game was great, as usual.
Latvia
#29 Linards Feldbergs, G (Undrafted): Feldbergs was busy against Canada, and while he had a quieter night against the Americans, asking him to play against two tournament heavyweights in less than 24 hours is a tough ask. Feldbergs was especially good on a second-period penalty kill, robbing a high-flying American attack three separate times. There’s only so much you can do when your team doesn’t score, but Feldbergs showed again why he might be the best story of the tournament so far.
#24 Daniels Serkins, LW (2025 NHL Draft): Scouts definitely took notice of Serkins’ multiple blocks. He was clearly in some serious pain multiple times, but he was the reason why the United States probably didn’t score another three goals. He’s not big or strong, but he’s energetic and committed to keeping the puck away from the net – you love to see that.
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