Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard named captain of USA’s World Junior team

USA Hockey has announced its leadership group for the 2025 World Juniors which is set to take place in Ottawa, Ontario from Dec. 26 – Jan. 5.

Washington Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard has been named captain. In addition, Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium, New York Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault, New York Islanders prospect Danny Nelson, and Chicago Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore have been named assistant captains.

“We’ve got tremendous leadership, which is important in a short tournament like this,” said David Carle, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team and also the head men’s ice hockey coach at the University of Denver. “Congratulations to those selected to wear letters, and beyond those five players, we know that everyone on our team will play a role in our success.” 

Leonard is just the second player from Boston College to captain a U.S. National Junior Team, joining Marty Reasoner, who served as captain of the 1997 squad.

Team USA’s last five captains have been Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty, New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.

The team includes 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goaltenders.  Twenty-two of the 25 players have been drafted in the NHL, with six first-round picks and eight second-round picks. Three players are eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft.

The Americans have a chance to win consecutive gold medals for just the second time in tournament history. USA took home the top spot in Sweden after beating the hosts in a wild final game.

USA will kick off the tournament on December 26th against Germany, before facing Latvia, Finland and Canada in a New Year’s Eve battle.