Capitals' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears teddy bear toss goal. Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson both repeated as champions with Team USA, and Petr Sikora won bronze as the Washington Capitals prospects stepped up to help their respective teams to medals to close out World Juniors on Sunday. In the second period of the gold medal game between the Americans and Finland, Leonard got the puck to Hutson, who held onto the puck before sniping home the game-tying goal that eventually sent the game to overtime. There, Teddy Stiga scored the OT winner to secure back-to-back titles for Team USA. Hutson finished the tournament with three goals and eight assists for 11 points in seven games. The Capitals' 2024 second-rounder is the first defenseman in the history of the World Juniors to lead in scoring outright. Leonard, who wore the "C" for his country, finished with five goals and five assists to rank second in World Juniors scoring. The 2023 eighth-overall selection was also named the MVP of the tournament. Beyond the Americans, Czechia also earned a medal on Sunday after a 4-3 shootout win over Sweden. To the sound of boos, Sikora, Washington's 2024 sixth-round pick, welcomed the chirps as he accepted his medal. This marked Sikora's first WJC appearance and medal, and the 19-year-old had an impressive finish to his tournament with four goals and three assists for seven points in seven games. Washington had a total of six prospects competing in the tournament, with Leonard, Hutson and Sikora joined by Eriks Mateiko [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/takes/washington-capitals-world-junior-power-rankings-mateiko-hutson] for Latvia, Leon Muggli for Switzerland and Miroslav Satan Jr. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-miroslav-satan-jr-1-on-1-journey-adapting] for Slovakia.
