USA Hockey released a list on Monday of the 28 players who will compete for roster spots at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which the Americans are hosting in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn. The list includes nine returnees from last year’s team that won gold in Ottawa, including defenseman Cole Hutson, a Washington Capitals [http://thn.com/washington] prospect who led the team in scoring last season with 11 points. Of the 28 players, 25 have already been drafted by NHL teams. “We're excited about the group of players we've named,” said GM [https://teamusa.usahockey.com/news_article/show/1350759]John Vanbiesbrouck [https://teamusa.usahockey.com/news_article/show/1350759], who was a goaltender on the 1982 US World Junior team that also hosted a majority of the tournament in Minnesota. “It's always difficult to narrow it down, but we're set for what we know will be a very competitive camp that will help us get to our final roster.” The USA will play its last pre-tournament game against Germany [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/three-drafted-players-on-germany-s-preliminary-world-junior-roster] on Dec. 23, and is then expected to announce its tournament roster the following day. From USA Hockey, here are the 28 players: GOALTENDERS 30 Caleb Heil G 6-2 (188) 196 (89) 6/19/06 L Victoria, Minn. Madison Capitols (USHL [http://thn.com/ushl]) Tampa Bay Lightning [http://thn.com/tampabay] (2025, 7th rd., 193rd ovrl) 31 Nick Kempf G 6-2 (188) 196 (89) 3/1/06 L Morton Grove, Ill. University of Notre Dame (Big Ten) Washington (2024, 4th rd., 114th ovrl) 33 AJ Reyelts G 6-2 (188) 185 (84) 4/20/06 L Proctor, Minn. Penticton Vees (WHL [http://thn.com/whl]) 2026 NHL Draft Eligible Three Drafted Players on Germany's Preliminary World Junior Roster [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a58344db-d061-4229-ac5e-1706de20f4f6.jpeg] Three Drafted Players on Germany's Preliminary World Junior Roster Germany unveils its World Junior roster featuring three NHL draft picks, a promising 16-year-old, and experienced talent ready for international competition. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/three-drafted-players-on-germany-s-preliminary-world-junior-roster] DEFENSEMEN 14 Asher Barnett D 6-1 (185) 197 (89) 5/16/07 L Wilmette, Ill. University of Michigan (Big Ten) Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] (2025, 5th rd., 131st ovrl) 9 Henry Brzustewicz D 6-2 (188) 203 (92) 2/9/07 R Washington, Mich. London Knights (OHL [http://thn.com/ohl]) Los Angeles Kings [http://thn.com/losangeles] (2025, 1st rd., 31st ovrl) 16 EJ Emery D 6-3 (191) 185 (84) 3/30/06 R Compton, Calif. University of North Dakota (NCHC) New York Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers] (2024, 1st rd., 30th ovrl) 3 Blake Fiddler D 6-5 (196) 213 (97) 7/9/07 R Frisco, Texas Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) Seattle Kraken [http://thn.com/seattle] (2025, 2nd rd., 36th ovrl) 5 Logan Hensler # D 6-2 (188) 198 (90) 10/14/06 R Woodbury, Minn. University of Wisconsin (Big Ten) Ottawa Senators [http://thn.com/ottawa] (2025, 1st rd., 23rd ovrl) 44 Cole Hutson # D 5-11 (180) 171 (78) 6/28/06 L North Barrington, Ill. Boston University (Hockey East) WAS (2024, 2nd rd., 43rd ovrl) 6 Adam Kleber # D 6-5 (196) 210 (92) 3/24/06 R Chaska, Minn. University of Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo] (2024, 2nd rd., 42nd ovrl) 2 Luke Osburn D 6-1 (185) 189 (86) 9/9/06 L Plymouth, Mich. University of Wisconsin (Big Ten) Buffalo (2024, 4th rd., 108th ovrl) 25 Chase Reid D 6-2 (188) 185 (84) 12/30/07 R Chesterfield, Mich. Soo Greyhounds (OHL) 2026 NHL Draft Eligible 7 Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen D 6-1 (185) 188 (85) 12/18/06 L Northville, Mich. University of Michigan (Big Ten) 2026 NHL Draft Eligible USA Hockey Unveils Uniforms For 2026 Olympic And Paralympic Games [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/bc0b0091-dfed-48f4-8a02-4a25862d9325.jpeg] USA Hockey Unveils Uniforms For 2026 Olympic And Paralympic Games Nostalgic design meets modern competition. Discover the new USA Hockey uniforms drawing inspiration from a historic gold medal victory. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/usa-hockey-unveils-uniforms-for-2026-olympic-and-paralympic-games] FORWARDS 38 Kamil Bednarik F 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 5/26/06 L Elmhurst, Ill. Boston University (Hockey East) New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders] (2024, 2nd rd., 61st ovrl) 19 Trevor Connelly # F 6-1 (185) 175 (79) 2/28/06 L Tustin, Calif. Henderson Silver Knights (AHL [http://thn.com/ahl]) Vegas Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas] (2024, 1st rd., 19th ovrl) 34 Cole Eiserman # F 6-0 (183) 189 (86) 8/29/06 L Newburyport, Mass. Boston University (Hockey East) NY Islanders (2024, 1st rd., 20th ovrl) 10 James Hagens # F 5-11 (180) 193 (88) 11/3/06 L Hauppauge, N.Y. Boston College (Hockey East) Boston Bruins [http://thn.com/boston] (2025, 1st rd., 7th ovrl) 24 Will Horcoff F 6-5 (196) 201 (91) 1/23/07 L Birmingham, Mich. University of Michigan (Big Ten) Pittsburgh Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh] (2025, 1st rd., 24th ovrl) 83 Jacob Kvasnicka F 5-11 (180) 172 (78) 8/10/07 R Wayzata, Minn. Penticton Vees (WHL) NY Islanders (2025, 7th rd., 202nd ovrl) 17 Ryker Lee F 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 11/8/06 R Wilmette, Ill. Michigan State University (Big Ten) Nashville Predators [http://thn.com/nashville] (2025, 1st rd., 26th ovrl) 11 Cole McKinney F 6-1 (185) 198 (90) 3/16/07 R Lake Forest, Ill. University of Michigan (Big Ten) San Jose Sharks [http://thn.com/sanjose] (2025, 2nd rd., 53rd ovrl) 22 Brendan McMorrow F 5-11 (180) 180 (82) 3/27/06 L Lakeville, Minn. University of Denver (NCHC) Los Angeles (2025, 7th rd., 196th ovrl) 18 LJ Mooney F 5-8 (173) 165 (75) 3/2/07 R West Mifflin, Pa. University of Minnesota (Big Ten) Montreal Canadiens [http://thn.com/montreal] (2025, 4th rd., 113th ovrl) 12 Max Plante# F 5-11 (180) 180 (82) 2/20/06 L Hermantown, Minn. University of Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) Detroit Red Wings [http://thn.com/detroit] (2024, 2nd rd., 47th ovrl) 8 AJ Spellacy F 6-3 (191) 205 (93) 2/24/06 R Westlake, Ohio Windsor Spitfires (OHL) Chicago Blackhawks [http://thn.com/chicago] (2024, 3rd rd., 72nd ovrl) 4 Teddy Stiga # F 5-11 (180) 178 (81) 4/5/06 L Sudbury, Mass. Boston College (Hockey East) Nashville (2024, 2nd rd, 55th ovrl) 23 Shane Vansaghi F 6-2 (188) 215 (98) 10/11/06 R St. Louis, Mo. Michigan State University (Big Ten) Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia] (2025, 2nd rd., 48th ovrl) 74 Brodie Ziemer # F 5-11 (180) 195 (88) 2/22/06 R Chaska, Minn. University of Minnesota (Big Ten) Buffalo (2024, 3rd rd, 71st ovrl) TEAM STAFF General Manager John Vanbiesbrouck Detroit, Mich. Head Coach Bob Motzko Austin, Minn. Assistant Coach Steve Miller Sun Prairie, Wis. Assistant Coach Greg Brown Scituate, Mass. Assistant Coach Garrett Raboin Detroit Lakes, Minn. Goaltending Coach David Lassonde Durham, N.H. Zach Werenski Says Johnny Gaudreau ‘Deserves This Gold Medal More Than Anyone’ [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7f2b83e2-e9eb-4cc4-b3e0-d5acb55adfc1.webp] Zach Werenski Says Johnny Gaudreau ‘Deserves This Gold Medal More Than Anyone’ Zach Werenski had a great World Championship. He missed the first couple of games but it was no coincidence that the U.S. team got much better after he arrived. In seven games, Werenski had six points and was voted to the tournament all-star team by accredited media and named Top Defenseman by the tournament directorate. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/zach-werenski-says-johnny-gaudreau-deserves-this-gold-medal-more-than-anyone]
