2025 World Junior Hockey Championship USA Finals – The Hockey Writers – World Junior Hockey Championship

Team USA has announced its final roster ahead of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships, which begins on December 26 in Ottawa. There is a wealth of talent at every position, helping Team USA become one of the strongest lineups in the tournament field.

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Austin Bonnewick/Trevor Connelly/Cole Eiserman/James Hagans/Ryan Leonard/Oliver Moore/Danny Nelson/Gabe Perreault/Marx ·Plant/Teddy Stiga/Brandon Swoboda/Kyrie Tallens/Joy Willis/Brody Zimmer

The U.S. has a bunch of top talent, with all but one player drafted to the NHL (James Hagans is eligible in 2025), and the forwards on the U.S. roster this year are easily the best of any team. of a group. Led by Hagans, one of the top prospects in the 2025 draft, the offense will feature five returning players from last year's team. Players such as New York Islanders rookie Cole Eiserman and Nashville Predators rookie Teddy Stiga will be looking to continue their run on the World Juniors stage after strong performances in last year's Under-18 Championship. success. Depth is also a strength of Team USA, with players able to move up and down the lineup if needed. Max Plante, the Detroit Red Wings' second-round pick in the 2024 draft, made the roster after being invited late into the Detroit Red Wings' preliminary draft pool.

A player to watch is Predators 2023 draft pick Joey Willis. Willis is off to a stellar start to the 2024-25 season with the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit, having already set a career high with 17 goals and is in offensive form heading into the tournament. . Overall, the forwards will be an exciting group to watch throughout the game.

defense

Zev Buim, Paul Fisher, Drew Fortescue, Logan Hensler, Cole Hutson, Adam Kleiber, Alam Minnitian, Colin ralph

With the exception of New York Rangers rookie EJ Emery being on the shortlist, there's no surprise as to who Team USA will name on the back end of the ice in the 2025 WJC. Zeev Buium, Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian return for the U20 WJC Championship and will carry the load on defense. Buium (Minnesota Wild rookie) is another player on Team USA's roster who is off to a strong start, entering the season at the University of Denver and already scoring an impressive 20 points as a freshman. Cole Hutson (a rookie with the Washington Capitals) is a player to watch in his first U20 WJC game after his brother Ryan (Montreal Canadiens) had success in the tournament last year.

RELATED: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championships

The younger Hutson has shown offensive prowess at the defensive position, much like Buim, who has scored 14 points so far in his freshman year at Boston College. The U.S. defense will be a team that can lock down opponents and make huge contributions offensively.

goalkeeper

Trey Augustine, Sam Hillebrandt, Hampton Sludzinski

The position that was pretty much determined from the start was the goalkeeper position. Trey Augustin, perhaps the best goaltender in the tournament, will return to Team USA along with Sam Hillebrandt. Augustin, a 2023 second-round pick by the Red Wings, is making his third appearance in the U20 WJC and is a driving force behind an MSU team that is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA this season. He had performed well in the previous two games. He will be a big reason why Team USA is successful again this year.

The United States does have a chance to repeat the same mistakes

After defeating Sweden 6-2 in the gold medal game last year to win the gold medal, Team USA does have a chance to repeat this year with its lineup. All three positions are exciting, and they also have high-end talent.

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