The stage is set for the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship final as Team USA is set to take on Team Switzerland on Sunday for a chance to take home the gold medal.
These two teams couldn’t be more different, which is why this matchup is so intriguing.
On paper, one thing that stands out about the USA squad is their youth.
They are led by a cast of young, upcoming NHL stars, including Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Frank Nazar, Will Smith, Shane Pinto, Matty Beniers, and the list goes on and on.
Their youth and inexperience in these big tournaments should be somewhat of a weakness, but it’s actually been a strength for an American team that plays with a high tempo, making them explosive and difficult to keep up with.
“When you’re young, sometimes you’re a little bit naive to situations, and that’s helped our group,” USA head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We are going to continue to grow and mature. It was nice to see our youth kind of kick in here.”
There is also a chip on many of these young player’s shoulders that wouldn’t be there for veterans.
They are hungry to prove themselves at the international level, as many of these American players are just scratching the surface in terms of their potential.
“I think we got a lot of young guys that are looking to prove that they are mature and that they can play on winning teams,” Josh Doan said. “I think as a young guy, you get put to that side that you don’t know how to win yet, but I think we’ve done a good job of proving that we can defend leads and play in big games.”
Team USA also consists of talented players the likes of Tage Thompson, Zach Werenski, Jeremy Swayman, Brady Skjei and Conor Garland.
In most sports and international tournaments, the USA is dominant, but not in the hockey World Championship.
America hasn't won a gold medal at the World Championship since 1993, and this group has that engraved into their minds.
“It’s been (since) 1933, and truly I think that’s not good,” Warsofsky said about America’s gold-medal drought. “It’s not good at all for us, and we have to start winning this tournament. We addressed it, and we have one more game to go.”
While Switzerland’s team may not look as flashy on paper, there’s an element about their game that can’t be seen on paper.
Many of these Swiss players have been playing with each other for years and that chemistry gives them a big advantage.
It’s no coincidence that Switzerland won the silver medal at last year’s World Championship. Their long-lasting chemistry sets them apart from other countries.
“I say we have a good consistency now over the past couple of years of the same guys coming in,” J.J. Moser said of why Switzerland is successful. “We have chemistry in the team and we also can take our experiences from the past years, and that kind of gets us more confidence and more calmness in those situations, if you have experience obviously…
“We're connected, all five guys on the ice and all 20 guys on the team. I think that makes it really hard to play against us.”
Team Switzerland is headlined by Kevin Fiala, Timo Meier and Nino Niederreiter.
This tournament and team mean everything to the Swiss players. They’ve grown a bond with each other that is unmatched and honestly wholesome.
“I think team spirit is the key,” Switzerland defenseman Andrea Glauser said. “We have such good team spirit. We are like brothers, we are like a family.”
We’ll see on Sunday whether the USA’s youth takes them over the top or if Switzerland’s experience pays off.
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