2025 World Junior Championship Group A preview

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Today, we preview the Group A preliminary-round bracket.

Ryan Leonard and Zeev Buium are two of six first-round NHL draft picks hoping to bring the United States a second straight championship for the first time at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

They'll get that chance when the 2025 WJC is held in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

The U.S. won the 2024 WJC with a 6-2 victory against host Sweden in the gold-medal game. It was the sixth tournament title and second in the past four years for the U.S., which never has celebrated back-to-back WJC titles.

"[Having a chance to repeat] is probably the most important thing in the world, and we definitely have the team to do it," Buium said. "We obviously have the talent, and we got a lot of guys that are willing to work hard and lot of guys who have won before too."

Leonard, a sophomore forward at Boston College who will serve as U.S. captain, was selected No. 8 by the Washington Capitals in the 2023 NHL Draft. He leads the Eagles with 12 goals in 16 games. Buium, a sophomore defenseman at the University of Denver who will be an alternate captain, was selected No. 12 by the Minnesota Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft. He has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) and a plus-6 rating in 16 games.

"At the end of the day, it's hockey, it's all the best players in the world, and it's extremely fun," Leonard said. "But you can't really make mistakes that'll cost you because it's just a short tournament. You really got to be ready for every single shift in every single period."

Other first-round selections on the United States roster include forwards Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights, No. 19, 2024), Cole Eiserman (New York Islanders, No. 20, 2024), Oliver Moore (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 19, 2023) and Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers, No. 23, 2023).

The United States will play in Group A at the 2025 WJC, along with Canada, Finland, Latvia and Germany, with preliminary-round games played at Canadian Tire Centre. Group B consists of Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan, with preliminary-round games at TD Place.

The United States opens the WJC against Germany on Dec. 26 (2:30 p.m. ET). Canada also opens on Dec. 26 against Finland (7:30 p.m. ET). The U.S. and Canada will play Dec. 31 (8 p.m. ET), the final night of the preliminary round. All games will be broadcast live on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.

Here's a look at each Group A team, in predicted order of finish:

United States

Coach: David Carle

2025 NHL Draft watch: James Hagens, C, Boston College (NCAA); Logan Hensler, D, Wisconsin (NCAA)

Schedule: Dec. 26, Germany (2:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Latvia (3:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Finland (2:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Canada (8 p.m. ET)

Outlook: Carle will want to incorporate a fast, puck-possession game with a quick transition from defense to offense, as he did at the 2024 WJC when the U.S. outscored the opposition 45-15 on the way to seven straight wins. Hagens is a fantastic playmaker and extremely motivated to help his five Boston College teammates (defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian; forwards Leonard, Perreault, Teddy Stiga) win a second straight WJC title. Hagens is expected to play between Perreault and Leonard, but he also may see time with Perreault and Stiga since that trio has played with pace and tempo in putting defenders on their heels. Buium likely will be paired with Fortescue (New York Rangers) on the top defense pair, and Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals), the brother of Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Lane Hutson, could join Adam Kleber (Buffalo Sabres) on another pair. Hensler is an A-rated defenseman on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2025 draft. Forward Max Plante (Detroit Red Wings) was a late addition to selection camp because of concern about a hand injury, but he was solid during camp and should play a significant middle-six role. Goalie Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings), a sophomore with Michigan State, might be the best at his position in the tournament.

Canada

Coach: Dave Cameron

2025 NHL Draft watch: Matthew Schaefer, D, Erie (OHL); Porter Martone, RW, Brampton (OHL); Jack Ivankovic, G, Brampton (OHL)

Schedule: Dec. 26, Finland (7:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Latvia (7:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Germany (7:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, United States (8 p.m.+ ET)

Outlook: Canada finished fifth at the 2024 WJC after winning the previous two tournament championships. Five players from last year's entry are back: forwards Easton Cowan (Toronto Maple Leafs), Carson Rehkopf (Seattle Kraken) and Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets), and defensemen Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia Flyers) and Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators). Medicine Hat forward Gavin McKenna, who turned 17 on Dec. 20 and is the youngest player on the roster, leads the Western Hockey League with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 30 games and is the early favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft. Canada has 10 first-round picks on its roster, including forwards Yager (No. 14, 2023), who will be the captain, Cowan (No. 28, 2023), Berkly Catton (Seattle Kraken, No. 8, 2024), Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 13, 2024), Cole Beaudoin (Utah Hockey Club, No. 24, 2024), Calum Ritchie (Colorado Avalanche, No. 27, 2023), and Bradly Nadeau (Carolina Hurricanes, No. 30, 2023), and defensemen Bonk (No. 22, 2023), Molendyk (No. 24, 2023) and Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks, No. 11, 2024). Goalies Carson Bjarnason (Philadelphia Flyers) and Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) likely each will get some playing time but it remains to be seen who takes the reins should Canada advance to the medal round. Schaefer and Martone are A-rated prospects on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list and each is a projected top-four pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Finland

Coach: Lauri Mikkola

2025 NHL Draft watch: Benjamin Rautiainen, C, Tappara (FIN); Daniel Nieminen, D, Pelicans (FIN); Petteri Rimpinen, G, Kiekko-Espoo (FIN)

Schedule: Dec. 26, Canada (7:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Germany (3:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, United States (2:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Latvia (2:30 p.m. ET)

Outlook: Finland returns six players from the team that lost 8-5 to Czechia in the bronze-medal game to finish fourth at the 2024 WJC. Konsta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres), Emil Hemming (Dallas Stars) and Rasmus Kumpulainen (Minnesota Wild) are the key returning forwards. Helenius could center the top line with Kasper Haltunnen (San Jose Sharks) and Topias Hynninen, and Kumpulainen could center a second line. Emil Pieniniemi and Kalle Kangas, each selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL Draft, are the two returning players on defense. Pieniniemi could work alongside 18-year-old Finland captain Aron Kiviharju (Minnesota Wild) to form the top pairing. Kangas, who impressed at the World Junior Summer Showcase in August, could work with Sebastian Sonini (Minnesota Wild) on a second pairing. Kim Saarinen (Seattle Kraken) is the only goalie on the roster that has been drafted and might be in line for most of the starts in Ottawa. Finland won the WJC in 2014 but will need to rely on its work ethic to overcome a lack of scoring to reach the medal stand.

Latvia

Coach: Marcel Jenni

2025 NHL Draft watch: Bruno Osmanis, RW, Bjorkloven (SWE-2)

Schedule: Dec. 27, Canada (7:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, United States (3:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Germany (3:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Finland (2:30 p.m. ET)

Outlook: Latvia scored eight goals in five games and were shut out three straight games but reached the quarterfinals after a 6-2 win against Germany in the preliminary round. A 7-2 loss to the United States left them with an eighth-place finish. Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals) returns after scoring a goal and averaging 17:39 of ice time in five games in last year's tournament. The 19-year-old forward has 19 points (14 goals, five assists) while serving as captain with Saint John of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Defenseman Darels Uljanskis (Anaheim Ducks) also is a player to watch. The 18-year-old (6-2, 194), who has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 27 games with AIK's team in Sweden's junior league, should quarterback the top power-play unit after getting one assist in five games at the 2024 WJC. Goaltender Linards Feldbergs is expected to get a majority of the starts; he's 11-4-2 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in 21 games with Sherbrooke of the QMJHL. Latvia doesn't have the talent to stay competitive with the United States, Canada or Finland, so its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals once again will come down to what happens against Germany on Dec. 30.

Germany

Coach: Tobias Abstreiter

2025 NHL Draft watch: Carlos Handel, D, Halifax (QMJHL); David Lewandowski, LW, Saskatoon (WHL)

Schedule: Dec. 26, United States (2:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Finland (3:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Canada (7:30 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Latvia (3:30 p.m. ET)

Outlook: Germany beat Norway in overtime in the relegation round at the 2024 WJC to stay in the top level, and will have a tough time avoiding the relegation round again this year. Five players return from the 2024 team that finished ninth, among them defenseman Norwin Panocha (Buffalo Sabres) and forward Julius Sumpf. Panocha (6-1, 190) had a goal and averaged 17:47 in ice time in five games for Germany at the 2024 WJC. He's with Green Bay of the United States Hockey League this season and has three assists in 15 games. Sumpf (6-1, 190), who had three points (one goal, two assists) and averaged 15:14 of ice time in the 2024 WJC, earned a W rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and is a projected sixth- or seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft. Sumpf has 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) and a plus-31 rating in 29 games in his second season with Moncton of the QMJHL. Goalie Nico Pertuch (6-2, 207), who is 4-3-0 with a 1.91 GAA and .906 save percentage on loan with Ravensburg in Germany's second division, might see the majority of starts. Germany's chances of avoiding relegation likely will come down to its game against Latvia on Dec. 30.