Team USA's world juniors squad would become instant favorites to win gold in Ottawa if the San Jose Sharks loan out one of their top prospects, says Tony Ferrari. James Hagens and Markus Loponen at the 2024 U-18s Five Nations Tournament in February. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA4MTMwNjA5Mzk3MTE0NTEy/usatsi_22471674_168400847_lowres.jpg] James Hagens and Markus Loponen at the 2024 U-18s Five Nations Tournament in February. Team USA is a perennial force at the world juniors, and their projected roster looks to keep that going in Ottawa. The defending gold medalists will again be dangerous at the World Junior Championship. The biggest question for this roster is whether the San Jose Sharks loan out Will Smith, who has had very mixed results early in his NHL career. If he is on this world juniors team, they should be the instant favorites to repeat. Projecting any roster is tough, but Team USA is especially fun because of the relationships created by the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in many cases. The roster is full of duos and even possibly a full line that played together for long periods, which will be a big advantage as the team will have instant chemistry, which could be the differentiating factor in a short tournament. This isn’t exactly the roster I would take or the lines I would put together, but here is my projection for Team USA's World Junior Championship roster for the upcoming tournament from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. FORWARDS Final cuts: Max Plante (DET), Beckett Hendrickson (BOS), Kristian Epperson (undrafted), Jayson Shaugabay (TB), Brandon Svoboda (SJS), Joey Willis (NSH) Assuming the San Jose Sharks loan Will Smith out to Team USA’s junior squad, the American top line would be the tournament's best without question. Reuniting Smith with former Boston College and NTDP linemates Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard, who he played with for the previous three seasons, would be a terrifying thought for every team that has to play against the Americans at the World Juniors. If Smith isn’t loaned out, Hagens – the center currently playing between Perreault and Leonard at Boston College – would be the obvious choice to slot in on the top line. Hagens centering the second line would give the Americans some impressive depth scoring, and it would reunite Hagens with Cole Eiserman, a one-two punch the NTDP relied on the last two years before they moved onto college this season. Adding the incredibly dynamic and skilled Connelly to their line would make it one of the most entertaining lines to watch. The bottom six is full of impressive players who could play up the lineup should an injury arise. Oliver Moore’s speed and work ethic would make him a nuisance to play against for opposing teams, and adding the vigor and relentlessness of Stiga on one wing and the power and skill combo of Musty on the other would make them as lethal of a third line as there is in the tournament. AJ Spellacy has been on the rise over the last year, and his speed, strength and energy would be a perfect fit on the fourth line. Danny Nelson is a USA hockey veteran who knows how they want to play, and he’s always fit in perfectly in the bottom six. Brodie Ziemer and returnee Carey Terrance will battle it out for the final spot on the fourth line. Terrance has been up and down, so Ziemer might get the edge to start. Max Plante could easily slide into this roster if Smith isn't loaned. Joey Willis and Kristian Epperson have performed at a high level in the OHL, and they could easily slot into this team on merit. But USA Hockey seems to have a limit on CHL guys, and having Musty and Spellacy already on the roster may lead them to opt for NCAA kids who can play a more steady bottom-six role. DEFENSEMEN Final cuts: Zach Schulz (NYI), Logan Hensler (2025), Andrew Strathmann (CLB), Colin Ralph (STL) The USA's blueline will really rely on the top players, so Zeev Buium and Drew Fortescue are likely to eat up a ton of minutes. Buium is a stud who can do just about everything, and he has 10 assists and 13 points in 12 games. He will lead this blueline as their No. 1 defender, and we will likely see him in all situations. He’s not as flashy as Lane Hutson or Luke Hughes in past years, but he could be a more effective all-around player while bringing high-end offensive production. The Americans will expect their D-men to prevent scoring more than create offense, but one player who could help with offense is Cole Hutson. He has shown some really interesting offensive tools over the last couple of years. He and defensive defenseman EJ Emery looked solid together at the NTDP last season, so reuniting them is a bit of a no-brainer. Paul Fischer, Adam Kleber, and Aram Minnetian round out this defense group. All three could slot into the bottom pairing, playing some really solid defensive hockey on the bottom pair. You could easily argue for Schulz to be in the lineup, and if the Americans wanted more offensive flair, Strathmann could be an interesting option. Hensler’s up-and-down start to his college career has him on the outside looking in. GOALIES The goaltending position is the easiest to predict for the Americans. Trey Augustine was on the team for the last two years, and this tournament will be no different. While he competed for starts and found a way to win out in each of those years, he is the surefire starter this year, assuming he is healthy. He appeared in six games in the 2023 tournament, posting a 4-1-0 record, 2.85 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. Last year, he had a 4-0-0 record with a 1.75 GAA and .915 SP. Augustine has the chance to be the best goalie at this tournament, but it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him in the conversation as the tournament MVP. Hampton Slukynsky has been fantastic in the NCAA with Western Michigan, and he seems solidified as the backup. Nicholas Kempf is an NTDP product who has been good for Notre Dame, and getting him some experience at the tournament would be a good idea for next year, when he will likely play a bigger role. Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [https://info.thehockeynews.com/mail/microsites/951/1/gTeQVf?_gl=1*ustlbj*_ga*NjkyMzUxMy4xNjYzNjIwMzQ3*_ga_PK63FB1PME*MTcxMzUwOTExNi40NDguMS4xNzEzNTA5MjA5LjU5LjAuMA..]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum [https://thehockeynews.rtb.io/THNHOME/posts].
