Team USA Releases Preliminary World Juniors Roster: Initial Reaction, Snubs And Battles

Team USA is preparing to defend its gold medal from last year’s world juniors.

The Americans announced their training camp roster for the U-20 tournament in Ottawa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2025. The 28 players on the roster feature three goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 15 forwards. Nineteen attendees have played at least one game for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.

Attending camp will be 10 returning members from last year’s gold medal-winning squad. Training camp will take place on Dec. 16 and 17 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., with the final roster being announced by Dec. 24.

The team could add an 11th returnee should the San Jose Sharks decide to lend Will Smith to the squad. If they do, Smith immediately slots in as the first-line center, likely between former college and NTDP linemates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault. Smith’s improved play could throw a wrench into whether he is loaned out or not, though.

Here's for on each position.

Goaltending

The USA's goaltending will once again be a difference-making strength. They'll lean on starter Trey Augustine, who is arguably the world juniors' best netminder heading into the tournament. Sam Hillebrandt also returns, while Hampton Slukynsky joins them amid an impressive NCAA season, with a 1.66 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in six games.

Defense

On the back end, Zeev Buium and Drew Fortescue will look to play even bigger roles than they did last year and lead the blueline toward another gold. Last year’s extra defender, Aram Minnetian, will face some tough competition for a roster spot, but he has a leg up because of his experience with the squad.

Cole Hutson and EJ Emery have been partners before at the NTDP, and the world junior squad could lean on that duo once again as it builds out its defense corps. The offensive-leaning Hutson and defensive-leaning Emery are a good mix.

Paul Fischer, Adam Kleber and Colin Ralph are three stout defenders looking to make their mark in camp as defensively reliable options on the back end. They'll be challenged by a pair of 2025 NHL draft-eligible defenders, Blake Fiddler and Logan Hensler.

Fiddler, in particular, could be exactly what Team USA needs as a depth defender. He captained the American Hlinka-Gretzky Cup squad this past August.

Forwards

Up front, the Americans are strong once again, with Perreault and Leonard leading the charge. Centering their line will either be Smith, their pivot for three years before this season, or James Hagens, their current center at Boston College and arguably the top prospect eligible for the 2025 NHL draft. Hagens has three goals and 14 assists for 17 points in 13 games this season. Either way, the top line for the U.S. will be incredibly lethal.

Along with Perreault and Leonard, the Americans invited five returning players, including Oliver Moore, Carey Terrance and Danny Nelson. All three should be playing solid roles on this team, with Terrance being the closest to the cut line. Moore should be a middle-six center and an integral all-situations player.

Cole Eiserman has enjoyed a strong start to his college season, with nine goals and 13 points in 14 games. He'll be a scoring option for Team USA, bringing his wicked shot to the table.

Trevor Connelly has all of the skill and flair you could want up front, but it will be interesting to see if the team opts to bring him or a more well-rounded player.

AJ Spellacy has quickly become a favorite of USA Hockey because of his raw athleticism and impressive tools. He could be a wicked option in the bottom six. Fellow OHLer Joey Willis also got an invite to camp, where he will look to ride his recent hot play into a roster spot for the Americans.

Teddy Stiga and Brodie Ziemer can play up and down the lineup with some success. Stiga, in particular, has shown some amazing chemistry with Eiserman and Hagens in the past, so he could be a natural fit alongside his former NTDP teammates.

Boston University's Brandon Svoboda, Quinnipiac's Chris Pelosi and St. Cloud State's Austin Burnevik will all be battling for depth roster spots.

Related: World Juniors 2025: Projected Team USA Roster

Snubs

There weren’t many notable omissions, but Quentin Musty is the biggest name left off the roster. He was injured in a recent game, but the word out there was that the San Jose prospect wasn’t going to be included on the roster anyway. It's an interesting decision with some behind-the-scenes factors likely playing into things.

Red Wings second-rounder Max Plante and Islanders sixth-rounder Zach Schulz were also not named to the roster despite a lot of belief that they would be there. The Americans only brought three goaltenders, all of which are on the older side.

Of note, the IIHF recently expanded rosters for their major tournaments to allow for a 25-man roster. Game-day rosters are still limited to two goalies and 20 skaters, but teams can still bring the extras and have any of them listed on the game-day roster.

While the host country may opt to bring fewer players – Canada in this case – countries such as the USA will likely bring the full 25-man complement of players, meaning they will likely cut one forward and two defenders to get roster compliant.

Full Roster List

Forwards

Brodie Ziemer

Cole Eiserman

Gabe Perreault

Chris Pelosi

Austin Burnevik

Joey Willis

Trevor Connelly

AJ Spellacy

Danny Nelson

James Hagens

Oliver Moore

Carey Terrance

Ryan Leonard

Brandon Svoboda

Teddy Stiga

Defense

Zeev Buium

Blake Fiddler

Cole Hutson

Paul Fischer

Aram Minnetian

EJ Emery

Adam Kleber

Drew Fortescue

Colin Ralph

Logan Hensler

Goaltenders

Trey Augustine

Sam Hillebrandt

Hampton Slukynsky

Related: Canada Releases World Junior Camp Roster: Reaction, Snubs, Bubble Players

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