The U.S. World Junior hockey team is showing everyone why they were picked to win it all. They’ve been crushing it in the tournament so far, living up to their defending champion status.
Their opening game was a total blowout – a 10-4 win against Germany. Boston College’s Gabe Perreault stole the show with two goals and an assist.
The Americans kept rolling with a solid 5-1 win over Latvia, then had a small hiccup in a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland. But they bounced right back with a huge 4-1 victory over their biggest rivals, Team Canada, on New Year’s Eve.
Cole Hutson has been absolutely on fire. The Boston University defender leads the team with eight points, putting him at the top of the tournament alongside Detroit prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Hutson came up clutch against Canada, scoring the game’s first goal on the power play.
The team’s real strength? Their forwards are stacked. We’re talking five first-round NHL draft picks, including Ryan Leonard, Oliver Moore, and Cole Eiserman.
But keep your eye on James Hagens. This 18-year-old Boston College star is expected to be the first pick in the 2025 NHL draft, and he’s already got six points in four games.
Between the pipes, Trey Augustine has been a wall. The Michigan State goalie was perfect last year with a 4-0 record, and he’s bringing that same energy this time around. He stopped 38 of 39 shots against Canada – pretty impressive stuff.
The special teams have been clicking too. Their power play is converting at nearly 28%, third-best in the tournament.
Next up? They’re facing Switzerland in the quarterfinals. The Swiss have had a rough go, scoring just 10 goals while giving up 15. That’s not great news for them against this high-powered U.S. team.
Want to catch the action? The U.S. takes on Switzerland on January 2nd at 2:30 pm EST on NHL Network. With how they’re playing, the Americans look ready to bring home another gold medal.
