Team USA World Junior Camp Roster Distribution led by James Hagens, Leonard

Team USA's defense of its gold medal at the World Junior is starting to take shape. USA Hockey on Monday announced the preliminary 28-player roster for the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The squad is highlighted by 10 returners led by Ryan Leonard (WSH), Gabe Perreault (NYR), Zeev Buium (MIN) and Trey Augustine (DET). Also among the returning players looking for another shot at gold are Drew Fortescue (NYR), Aram Minnetian (DAL), Carey Terrance (ANA), Oliver Moore (CHI), Danny Nelson (NYI) and Sam Hillebrandt.

The U.S. team will be led by two-time NCAA national champion head coach David Carle, who will bring back his entire staff from the gold medal-winning team in 2024.

Also highlighting Team USA's selection is 2025 NHL Draft top prospect James Hagens. The Boston College freshman who has recorded 17 points in his first 13 NCAA games. Hagens came into last year's team late, but is expected to play an outsized role in the team this time around.

One player left off the preliminary roster was San Jose Sharks rookie Will Smith. This was by no means a surprise, but he is the only age-eligible returnee who will not be competing in this year's World Juniors. The young forward has ramped up his production after a slow start and is seemingly starting to get the hang of things in the NHL.

Team USA training camp is expected to begin on December 16 in Plymouth, Michigan. The team will spend a few days in the US before heading north to Ottawa for the remainder of camp. The Americans will play two pre-tournament matches leading up to the 2025 WJC, against Slovakia on December 21 in Kingston and against Finland on December 23 in Cornwall.

The final roster for the World Junior Championship can include a maximum of 25 players, 22 skaters and three goaltenders. Team USA is expected to fill its roster with 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies.

Last summer, the IIHF approved expanded schedules for all its major tournaments. The competition rosters consist of a maximum of 20 skaters and two goalkeepers, but any of the 25 players are eligible to dress as part of that competition roster. That was not the case at previous World Junior Championships, where players could only be added to the squad as a replacement due to injury or illness. So teams can carry as many as three healthy scratches during the tournament, for more roster flexibility.

The U.S. team opens tournament play against Germany on December 26 at 2:30 PM ET.

Here's the full list of invites to Team USA's camp.

Team USA World Juniors Provisional Roster

Come on

• Austin Burnevik, St. Cloud State (ANA)
• Trevor Connelly, Providence (VGK)
• Cole Eiserman, Boston University (NYI)
• James Hagens, Boston College (2025)
• Ryan Leonard, Boston College (WSH)
• Oliver Moore, Minnesota (CHI)
• Danny Nelson, Notre Dame (NYI)
• Chris Pelosi, Quinnipiac (BOS)
• Gabe Perreault, Boston College (NYR)
• AJ Spellacy, Windsor Spitfires (CHI)
• Teddy Stiga, Boston College (NSH)
• Brandon Svoboda, Boston University (SJS)
• Carey Terrance, Erie (ANA)
• Joey Willis, Saginaw (NSH)
• Brodie Ziemer, Minnesota (BUF)

Defense

• Zeev Buium, Denver (MIN)
• EJ Emery, North Dakota (NYR)
• Blake Fiddler, Edmonton (2025)
• Paul Fischer, Notre Dame (EDM)
• Drew Fortescue, Boston College (NYR)
• Logan Hensler, Wisconsin (2025)
• Cole Hutson, Boston University (WSH)
• Adam Kleber, Minnesota Duluth (BUF)
• Aram Minnetian, Boston College (DAL)
• Colin Ralph, St. Cloud State (STL)

Goalkeepers

• Trey Augustine, Michigan State (DET)
• Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan (LAK)
• Sam Hillebrandt, Barrie Colts

Biggest surprises from the American selection announcement

Blake Fiddler makes camp schedule

It is especially rare for a U18 player to make it onto the US camp roster, especially if that player falls outside of the NTDP. Fiddler plays for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL and skated for Team CHL in the recent CHL USA Prospects Challenge. He is expected to be selected in the first round. This is just a hard break from precedent when it comes to the World Junior selection and, honestly, it's worth a try.

Fiddler captained Team USA at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and is getting major minutes in Edmonton. He also has size and mobility. The US Blue Line has the most holes, so it makes sense to look outside the regular pool to see what's there.

The other wrinkle is that Fiddler is a dual U.S.-Canada citizen who has yet to play in an IIHF event to solidify his national team selection. He told us last week that he had essentially made his choice and will go for his native country, the United States, for whom he plays internationally.

Notable omissions

There weren't many big surprises among the players who stayed. I think Minnesota Duluth's Max Plante was probably the guy I thought would probably be there as a potential second power play option. He didn't get the invitation in the end, but you also have to take into account that Plante spent most of this season injured after suffering a fracture in the first practice match of the season. It would have been tough.

Quentin Musty (SJS) broke his wrist before camp was called, but my understanding was that he was unlikely to receive an invite to camp and was not part of Team USA's plans. He has become a more divisive prospect among scouts who see the size and scoring ability but are more concerned about the consistency and level of competition. I think the last two points were part of why he was unlikely to be part of this camp.

I thought the US might go with a young goalie at No. 3 this year, but that wasn't the case. Sam Hillebrandt returns for another restart as Team USA's No. 3 after serving in that role last year. I heard great things about his attitude and what he was like as a teammate. He's going into this opportunity with his eyes wide open, knowing he probably won't play. That said, Team USA will host next year's World Juniors with zero goaltenders on their roster with WJC experience, as all three on this team will be aging.

The only other defenseman I thought might get a look on this team was Zach Schulz (NYI), a former NTDP captain who played well enough at Wisconsin. But he looks like some of the other guys that were added and I don't think there was much room for him, especially with how well a guy like Colin Ralph has played to earn his spot in camp.

Schedule notes USA

Team USA will have to make one cut on the forwards and two on the defensemen. It will be some very difficult decisions. There will need to be some players who work their way into roles on the team that they may not be used to, but that is what is needed at the World Juniors.

Team USA 2025 World Junior Championship schedule

• Thursday, December 26 vs. Germany, 2:30 PM ET

• Saturday December 28 vs. Latvia, 3:30 PM ET

• Sunday December 29 vs. Finland, 2:30 PM ET

• Tuesday, December 31 vs. Canada, 8:00 PM ET

• QUARTERFINAL: January 2

• SEMI-FINAL: January 4

• MEDAL GAMES: January 5

How to watch the 2025 World Junior Championships

The 2025 World Junior Championship will be broadcast live in Canada by TSN and RDS. NHL Network will provide live coverage of all Team USA games and select others across the United States.

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