Red Wings Prospects Looking to Make History with Team USA

It's medal day at the 2025 World Junior Championship in Ottawa.  After yesterday's semifinal results (the United States over Czechia and Finland over Sweden), the Detroit Red Wings' prospects on hand in Ottawa are assured to bring home at least one gold medal between them, while all four will have a chance at medal.

The gold medal game (scheduled for a 7:30 puck drop will pit Trey Augustine (a 2023 second round Red Wings draft choice), Max Plante (a 2024 second rounder for Detroit), and Team USA against Jesse Kiiskinen (a 2023 third round pick of the Nashville Predators, traded to the Red Wings last June) and the Finns.  Three hours earlier, Axel Sandin-Pellikka—presently one of four players tied as the tournament's top scorer with nine points in six games—will look to bounce back from the disappointment of the loss to Finland in this afternoon's bronze medal game.

For Plante and Augustine, there is more than just a gold medal on the line, there is also a chance to make American hockey history.  Team USA will have the chance to win back-to-back WJC gold medals for the first time ever.  The Athletic's Scott Wheeler quoted American coach David Carle as saying, when asked about how that potential first has driven his team, "That was our first meeting in the summer, we spoke about that pretty honestly — that our country has never done that and we wanted to get there. ... You start with the end in mind and then you kind of build your process from there. You own it. This is a legacy type game for especially our '05s and what they've accomplished in their amateur careers at the U18 and at the U20 already. It has been mentioned at the start of every camp we've had and I'm proud of the guys for getting it to this point. If we were thinking too big picture, we wouldn't be here, so it's not a concern of mine."

This tournament represents the 18-year-old Plante's first World Junior appearances, while Augustine was part of the gold-medal winning side Carle took to Sweden at last year's tournament and the team that took bronze the year prior in the Canadian Maritimes.  With last night's win over Czechia, Augustine became the winningest World Junior goaltender in American history at 11 wins.  Tonight against Finland, he will have a chance to make more history, add to that total, and further stake his claim to being the most decorated junior goaltender hockey has ever seen.

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