Vanbiesbrouck 'looking for relentlessness' from U.S. at World Junior Championship

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship is scheduled in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5, and 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20. Today, a Q&A with USA Hockey assistant executive director and National Junior Team general manager John Vanbiesbrouck:

PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- John Vanbiesbrouck pulls no punches when it comes to the way he wants the United States National Junior Team to play at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

"We're looking for relentlessness out there with our speed and tenacity," Vanbiesbrouck told NHL.com. "I think we want every line to contribute but we want to play to a real brand where we get on top of you and we continue to forecheck. That's one of our big things ... when we're on top of you and moving forward, every line's contagious and we're hard to beat and hard to play against."

The United States has a chance to win back-to-back championships at the World Juniors for the first time after a 6-2 win against Sweden in the gold-medal game at the 2024 WJC in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Vanbiesbrouck is in his seventh straight year serving as USA general manager for the tournament featuring the best under-20 players in the world and also is part of the U.S. management team for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. On his watch the U.S. has medaled four times at the WJC: gold in 2021 and 2024, silver in 2019 and bronze in 2023.

"We're chasing it every year and the chase is the best part of it," Vanbiesbrouck said. "It makes the rewards so much greater. You can't rest on any piece of good or bad that happened because things do change and we're just trying to adapt with it and be successful with adapting."

The United States will participate in Group A in the preliminary round, along with Canada, Finland, Latvia and Germany. All games will be broadcast by NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.

NHL.com recently caught up with Vanbiesbrouck to discuss his team entering the WJC and to get his thoughts on the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will be held Feb. 12-20, at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston:

Let's start with the World Juniors: Did having knowledge of the 25-player roster for Canada influence the final decisions you made as a staff in composing the final roster for the United States?

"I would say yes and no. I think every piece of information you can get you have to utilize, but there's a lot of rosters. If we play the games off the rosters, it would probably be a short tournament. I would say we're paying attention; we read. Are we influenced by it? No. I would say it doesn't help or hurt our decision making. I just think that we know that they're all great players and we've seen them play, and the more homework we can do on it, the better prepared we're going to be."

Players and coaches haven't been shy about wanting the chance to repeat as tournament champion. What are your feelings?

"I think we're meeting expectations that we have and those are high. As far as where we go, every time it's different. We're going to be in North America and everybody assumes that's going to be easier but it's not. I mean, maybe travel-wise, but we're going to have more distractions, more people are going to be available to us and it's harder to weed through that. As far as our country goes, we believe very strongly in ourselves, what we've done in the game, where we are and where we're going. I think we just want to represent really well. We don't want to just say we're coming for the fight ... we want to treat people well, want to accept people well. We want the people to respect us."

Do you feel U.S. coach David Carle has the makeup of a future NHL coach?

"No doubt. But that's up to him and his personal life too. I mean, he's got a lot of young kids, and that life of being a head coach in the National Hockey League has a beginning and an end and the ends are quicker. We're living in a time where there's going to be a lot of new coaches because there's going to be a lot of opportunities and I think people have to coach with more communication. Having talked to some of the coaches that are around us a lot, even Don Granato wants to learn more about the new generation player. You have to get to know what turns the screw and how to get them to perform on a daily basis and that's not the easiest thing to do. But I think over time, every coach has tried to do that. The time of screaming, yelling and just playing games is gone. David fits the mold of the new-age coach who is smart, intuitive and communicates for today's day in the NHL. It's a got-to-have."

What did you notice about Boston College center James Hagens, a projected top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, during selection camp this year?

"I think it's a big adjustment for him. I think he's handling the time and space. I think he's adapting and his speed looks really strong. He's in a good space, he's confident and he's playing on a great team with some great players [at Boston College], so that doesn't hurt. But I think he wants to play hockey. He's not worried about the rest of the stuff. There's a lot that swirls around you in the position he's in and it's tough to do. He's a very smart, intuitive kid, but I think he just wants to play hockey and wants to have success. There's a push there for him just to stay in the moment. I was just talking to him about his dad and his brother, and he brings up his sister, who his father took to a hockey tournament. She's 14 years old. I mean, he loves that; he just loves the game. I think he's just trying to stay in the moment."

Is there a player on the roster you consider to be under the radar?

"Forward Brodie Ziemer (Minnesota Wild). He's very confident right now. He's adapted well to the game in Minnesota. I see a confident player who just wants to do things right all the time."

Who would you consider to be the best United States-born forward, defenseman and goalie in the NHL right now?

"Well, for starters I'll go with goalie Connor Hellebuyck, so I know, I'm going out on a limb there. Defensively, I love Quinn Hughes and the way he's playing and the fact he's in the Norris Trophy talk once again, and Zach Werenski has really been solid, but nobody talks about Jaccob Slavin. He's a real key guy that I see as a leader without a 'C' and a guy you're going to depend on because most people want to talk about our offensive guys, but we have to defend, and our coaches are going to do their best at trying to prepare us to defend. But you're going to defend against an onslaught and we're not just talking Canada. As far as forwards, we got a really confident group, but the guy that I paid attention to most because he put himself in a tough spot was Jake Guentzel. Becoming a free agent isn't the easiest thing to do and then going to a really good Tampa Bay Lightning room with no Steven Stamkos and you're that guy. He's just playing some really good hockey right now and that's a hard thing to do. You got to be a real confident pro to do that and I've got a ton of respect for him. I've been watching him closely. I know he went to the Carolina Hurricanes last year and that wasn't a fit. It's interesting, people think you're just going to go in and fit, but there are other players in the room, different personalities, and you got to really know what you're getting into. I've been watching Jake a lot and it's great to see how he's become a really solid player. He's going to be very important for us."

Was the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off difficult to put together?

"Extremely difficult. I think we made the best ones we could with the information we had and the type of team we're going to have, but I still think there's probably room there because you got to get to February. When we hit Christmas to February, the League rate of injury increases almost 20 percent. There are teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, for instance, who dug themselves a hole and are making a big-time comeback. They have to spend a lot to get there so the guys they're using are playing a lot of minutes. Those guys are all the guys that are going to be playing in 4 Nations."

Do you like the concept of the 4 Nations Face-Off?

"I do. I wish it was all the teams because I think it makes for better competition, but I'm glad we're one of the teams. I think everyone's excited, but I really think that the younger players of each country, who never really had this type of opportunity, are really gearing up for it."

What sets Hellebuyck apart from other U.S. goalies?

"Connor has such a great approach to the game. He really understands the mental side of it. He's an honest goalie. I think with the position, you got to be honest with yourself. It's not like you're a pilot and you got to land it on the strip every day and hit the numbers. Sometimes you're going to be off the numbers and you got to get it back again. He's been so good at that and his game, the visualization, the investment he's made into the game ... that's what gives him the consistency. So it gives a team an opportunity, a team that most don't talk about in Winnipeg, and elevates them to have to talk about them. That's a big thing to do; it's not a small feat. I say that too for Jake Oettinger, who has really developed a confidence and consistency on a good team. He elevates their game on a nightly basis and he's invested a lot personally to sacrifice and there's a lot of personal sacrifice that you make for the position that nobody will ever see, but I see it in them."