The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Today, we preview the Group A preliminary-round bracket. Ryan Leonard and Zeev Buium are two of six first-round NHL draft picks hoping to bring the United States a second straight championship for the first time at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
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They'll get that chance when the 2025 WJC is held in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
The U.S. won the 2024 WJC with a 6-2 victory against host Sweden in the gold-medal game. It was the sixth tournament title and second in the past four years for the U.S., which never has celebrated back-to-back WJC titles.
"[Having a chance to repeat] is probably the most important thing in the world, and we definitely have the team to do it," Buium said. "We obviously have the talent, and we got a lot of guys that are willing to work hard and lot of guys who have won before too."
Leonard, a sophomore forward at Boston College who will serve as U.S. captain, was selected No. 8 by the Washington Capitals in the 2023 NHL Draft. He leads the Eagles with 12 goals in 16 games. Buium, a sophomore defenseman at the University of Denver who will be an alternate captain, was selected No. 12 by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) and a plus-6 rating in 16 games.
"At the end of the day, it's hockey, it's all the best players in the world, and it's extremely fun," Leonard said. "But you can't really make mistakes that'll cost you because it's just a short tournament. You really got to be ready for every single shift in every single period."
Other first-round selections on the United States roster include forwards Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights, No. 19, 2024), Cole Eiserman (New York Islanders, No. 20, 2024), Oliver Moore (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 19, 2023) and Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers, No. 23, 2023).
The United States will play in Group A at the 2025 WJC, along with Canada, Finland, Latvia and Germany, with preliminary-round games played at Canadian Tire Centre. Group B consists of Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan, with preliminary-round games at TD Place.
The United States opens the WJC against Germany on Dec. 26 (2:30 p.m. ET). Canada also opens on Dec. 26 against Finland (7:30 p.m. ET). The U.S. and Canada will play Dec. 31 (8 p.m. ET), the final night of the preliminary round. All games will be broadcast live on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.
Here's a look at each Group A team, in predicted order of finish:
Outlook: Carle will want to incorporate a fast, puck-possession game with a quick transition from defense to offense, as he did at the 2024 WJC when the U.S. outscored the opposition 45-15 on the way to seven straight wins. Hagens is a fantastic playmaker and extremely motivated to help his five Boston College teammates (defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian; forwards Leonard, Perreault, Teddy Stiga) win a second straight WJC title. Hagens is expected to play between Perreault and Leonard, but he also may see time with Perreault and Stiga since that trio has played with pace and tempo in putting defenders on their heels. Buium likely will be paired with Fortescue (New York Rangers) on the top defense pair, and Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals), the brother of Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson, could join Adam Kleber (Buffalo Sabres) on another pair. Hensler is an A-rated defenseman on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2025 draft. Forward Max Plante (Detroit Red Wings) was a late addition to selection camp because of concern about a hand injury, but he was solid during camp and should play a significant middle-six role. Goalie Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings), a sophomore with Michigan State, might be the best at his position in the tournament.
Outlook: Canada finished fifth at the 2024 WJC after winning the previous two tournament championships. Five players from last year's entry are back: forwards Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) and Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets), and defensemen Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) and Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators). Medicine Hat forward Gavin McKenna, who turned 17 on Dec. 20 and is the youngest player on the roster, leads the Western Hockey League with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 30 games and is the early favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft. Canada has 10 first-round picks on its roster, including forwards Yager (No. 14, 2023), who will be the captain, Cowan (No. 28, 2023), Berkly Catton (Seattle Kraken, No. 8, 2024), Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 13, 2024), Cole Beaudoin (Utah Hockey Club, No. 24, 2024), Calum Ritchie (Colorado Avalanche, No. 27, 2023), and Bradly Nadeau (Carolina Hurricanes, No. 30, 2023), and defensemen Bonk (No. 22, 2023), Molendyk (No. 24, 2023) and Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks, No. 11, 2024). Goalies Carson Bjarnason (Philadelphia Flyers) and Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) likely each will get some playing time but it remains to be seen who takes the reins should Canada advance to the medal round. Schaefer and Martone are A-rated prospects on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list and each is a projected top-four pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
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They'll get that chance when the 2025 WJC is held in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
The U.S. won the 2024 WJC with a 6-2 victory against host Sweden in the gold-medal game. It was the sixth tournament title and second in the past four years for the U.S., which never has celebrated back-to-back WJC titles.
"[Having a chance to repeat] is probably the most important thing in the world, and we definitely have the team to do it," Buium said. "We obviously have the talent, and we got a lot of guys that are willing to work hard and lot of guys who have won before too."
Leonard, a sophomore forward at Boston College who will serve as U.S. captain, was selected No. 8 by the Washington Capitals in the 2023 NHL Draft. He leads the Eagles with 12 goals in 16 games. Buium, a sophomore defenseman at the University of Denver who will be an alternate captain, was selected No. 12 by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) and a plus-6 rating in 16 games.
"At the end of the day, it's hockey, it's all the best players in the world, and it's extremely fun," Leonard said. "But you can't really make mistakes that'll cost you because it's just a short tournament. You really got to be ready for every single shift in every single period."
Other first-round selections on the United States roster include forwards Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights, No. 19, 2024), Cole Eiserman (New York Islanders, No. 20, 2024), Oliver Moore (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 19, 2023) and Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers, No. 23, 2023).
The United States will play in Group A at the 2025 WJC, along with Canada, Finland, Latvia and Germany, with preliminary-round games played at Canadian Tire Centre. Group B consists of Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan, with preliminary-round games at TD Place.
The United States opens the WJC against Germany on Dec. 26 (2:30 p.m. ET). Canada also opens on Dec. 26 against Finland (7:30 p.m. ET). The U.S. and Canada will play Dec. 31 (8 p.m. ET), the final night of the preliminary round. All games will be broadcast live on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.
Here's a look at each Group A team, in predicted order of finish:
Outlook: Carle will want to incorporate a fast, puck-possession game with a quick transition from defense to offense, as he did at the 2024 WJC when the U.S. outscored the opposition 45-15 on the way to seven straight wins. Hagens is a fantastic playmaker and extremely motivated to help his five Boston College teammates (defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian; forwards Leonard, Perreault, Teddy Stiga) win a second straight WJC title. Hagens is expected to play between Perreault and Leonard, but he also may see time with Perreault and Stiga since that trio has played with pace and tempo in putting defenders on their heels. Buium likely will be paired with Fortescue (New York Rangers) on the top defense pair, and Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals), the brother of Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson, could join Adam Kleber (Buffalo Sabres) on another pair. Hensler is an A-rated defenseman on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2025 draft. Forward Max Plante (Detroit Red Wings) was a late addition to selection camp because of concern about a hand injury, but he was solid during camp and should play a significant middle-six role. Goalie Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings), a sophomore with Michigan State, might be the best at his position in the tournament.
Outlook: Canada finished fifth at the 2024 WJC after winning the previous two tournament championships. Five players from last year's entry are back: forwards Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) and Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets), and defensemen Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) and Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators). Medicine Hat forward Gavin McKenna, who turned 17 on Dec. 20 and is the youngest player on the roster, leads the Western Hockey League with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 30 games and is the early favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft. Canada has 10 first-round picks on its roster, including forwards Yager (No. 14, 2023), who will be the captain, Cowan (No. 28, 2023), Berkly Catton (Seattle Kraken, No. 8, 2024), Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 13, 2024), Cole Beaudoin (Utah Hockey Club, No. 24, 2024), Calum Ritchie (Colorado Avalanche, No. 27, 2023), and Bradly Nadeau (Carolina Hurricanes, No. 30, 2023), and defensemen Bonk (No. 22, 2023), Molendyk (No. 24, 2023) and Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks, No. 11, 2024). Goalies Carson Bjarnason (Philadelphia Flyers) and Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) likely each will get some playing time but it remains to be seen who takes the reins should Canada advance to the medal round. Schaefer and Martone are A-rated prospects on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list and each is a projected top-four pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
