Soon after Sunday’s practice session, the Caps flew to Buffalo – ahead of the DMV’s impending inclement weather – with plenty of time to get dinner and then turn their attention to Sunday night’s gold medal game in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. The gold medal contest pits Team USA against Team Finland; the Americans’ lone loss of the tournament to date was a 4-3 overtime loss to the Finns in group play. The Finns beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime and the Americans defeated Czechia 4-1 in a pair of compelling semifinal games on Saturday.
With a pair of prominent Caps prospects – Team USA captain Ryan Leonard and blueliner Cole Hutson – playing in the championship tilt, Washington’s coaches are planning on watching the game as a staff tonight in Buffalo. The Americans are aiming for their first set of consecutive goal medals in tournament history.
“We’ve been following it closely as a staff, watching the games,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery. “I think we’ll probably get together as a staff and watch that game. It’s a great opportunity to win back-to-back for Lenny, and for Hutson to win his first.”
In Saturday’s semifinal game, Leonard displayed a brilliant individual effort to set up Gabe Perreault for the first goal of the game, then accepted a feed from Perreault in the third period for the goal that gave Team USA some breathing room, extending their late lead to 3-1.
“He’s a gamer, man,” says Carbery of Leonard. “And that’s why we’re excited about his future in this organization. He is such a competitor, and you see it come out on such a big stage, at the Worlds, representing your country. And you’re excited about the future because you can just feel how passionate he is and how bad he wants to win, and how much he lays it on the line. And Caps fans are going to get used to that for a long time to come.”
Leonard has five goals and eight points in six tournament games, while Hutson’s nine points (two goals, seven assists) are tied with four other players – including Perreault – for the most in the tourney. Leonard was Washington’s first-round choice (eighth overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Hutson is a second-rounder (43rd overall) from the 2024 NHL Draft.
In addition to Leonard and Hutson, Washington has four other players – all from the 2024 NHL Draft, representing four different countries – in the 2025 WJC Tournament.
Swiss defenseman Leon Muggli (second round, 52nd overall) finished the tournament with three assists in five games. Latvian forward Eriks Mateiko (third round, 90th overall) finished with five goals in as many games; only Czechia’s Jakub Stancl (six) has more goals among all players in the tournament. Czechia forward Petr Sikora (sixth round, 178th overall) has four goals and seven points in six games. And Slovakian forward Miroslav Satan (seventh round, 212th overall) appeared in three games without recording a point.
“It’ll be awesome,” says Carbery of the tourney’s gold medal game. “It’s been great to see especially players that now you know and have a relationship with, and you’re pulling for them and you’re seeing them have success. It’s always nice to see.”
Capitals prospects Ryan Leonard (2023 Draft, 1st round, 8th overall) and Cole Hutson (2024 Draft, 2nd round, 43rd overall) won gold with Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship Sunday, defeating Finland 4-3 in overtime in the gold medal game. The pair helped Team USA win back-to-back World Junior gold medals for the first time ever.
Leonard, the U.S. captain, was named tournament MVP and Best Forward after recording 10 points (5g, 5a) in seven games. Hutson, who finished as the tournament leader in points (3g-8a–11p in 7 GP) and plus-minus (+11), was named to the Media All-Star Team.
Leonard recorded two primary assists in the gold medal game, while Hutson had one assist and scored the game-tying goal in the second period to help the Americans overcome a 3-1 deficit. Hutson’s goal, which was assisted by Leonard, came with 28.7 second remaining in the period.
With 11 points in seven games, Hutson broke Team USA’s single-tournament scoring record for a defenseman and is the first defenseman in World Junior Championship history to lead the tournament in scoring outright (h/t Chris Peters).
Leonard, a two-time World Junior gold medalist, has recorded 16 points (8g, 8a) in 14 career World Junior games, including eight points (4g, 4a) in six elimination games, five points (2g, 3a) in four medal round games and three points (1g, 2a) in two gold medal games.
Petr Sikora (2024 Draft, 6th round, 178th overall) won the bronze medal with Czechia Sunday and finished the tournament with seven points (4g, 3a) in seven games and a +10 plus-minus rating.
