Team USA just recently announced their roster for the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship (WJC).
With the preliminary round starting on Dec. 26, the tournament is officially in the rearview mirror. Team USA will be looking to win their third straight tournament — something they’ve never previously done.
Here is how this year’s American squad stacks up against the rest.
USA Forwards
Kamil Bednarik, Cole Eiserman, James Hagens, Will Horcoff, Ryker Lee, Cole McKinney, Brendan McMorrow, L.J. Mooney, Max Plante, A.J. Spellacy, Teddy Stiga, Shane Vansaghi, Will Zellers, Brodie Ziemer
Team USA’s forward group seems a little top-heavy…but the top talent is really good. Cole Eiserman, Max Plante, Will Horcoff and Brodie Ziemer can all produce points at a very high level. Teddy Stiga, who scored the golden goal in the 2025 tournament, should find himself in an elevated role.
A lot of eyes specifically will be on Horcoff, a center who has broken out with a remarkable 28 points (19 goals, 9 assists) in 20 games for the University of Michigan (NCAA). He’s very responsible defensively, making him a candidate to quickly become a focal point of the entire offense.
The team did take a big blow when Trevor Connelly got hurt in a pre-tournament game, effectively ending his tournament. He’s the only U.S. skater to currently play pro; he has 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 11 games with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL).
There are some notable omissions in Cullen Potter and Ethan Wyttenbach, who are all producing near-point-per-game or better paces in the NCAA. Leaving off top talent has hurt Canada in previous tournaments; we’ll see if it’s the same story for the U.S. in 2026.
USA Defensemen
Asher Barnett, E.J. Emery, Logan Hensler, Cole Hutson, Adam Kleber, Luke Osburn, Chase Reid, Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen
The defense for Team USA in 2026 won’t nearly be as deep as what they’ve featured in previous renditions. Nonetheless, it’s still a talented corps that could help lead them to the promise land.
Hutson is the obvious notable name here; the Boston University standout played a key role in their 2025 championship run. He has 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists) in 17 games.
Asked #ALLCAPS Cole Hutson about Free Bird:
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) January 6, 2025
“I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t know the song before the tournament started, now I can probably sing it lyric for lyric”
17-year-old Chase Reid is projected to go early in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft — possibly even top five. Despite his age, he has a potential to take on an important role as another offensive defenseman. He has 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games for the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
USA Goaltenders
Caleb Heil, Nick Kempf, Brady Knowling
If there’s any facet of Team USA most likely to contribute to their demise, it’s the goaltending. They’ll surely miss Trey Augustine, who has aged out but was tremendous for the U.S. over the past two tournaments.
The save percentage this season for Heil (United States Hockey League — USHL) and Kempf (NCAA), respectively, is .891% and .893%.
It’s worth mentioning that Kempf had a 1.89 GAA and .919 SV% for Team USA at the 2024 U18 Worlds — maybe that’ll give him a slight edge.
Brady Knowling has the highest ceiling of the three, but he’s only 17 years old. That would be a ridiculously tough spot to put him in. Team USA brass should not be quick to give the starting gig to any of these three.
Can the U.S. Take Down Canada!?
Canada’s quarterfinal collapses caused the U.S. to avoid facing them en route to gold in the 2024 and 2025 WJC. With Canada’s uber-talented squad, it’s really hard to see a world where they fall early. It feels like the U.S. will have to match up with their northern neighbors at some point if they want to three-peat.
Anything can happen in a one-game playoff, but on paper, Canada looks much stronger as virtually their entire team is comprised of first-round talent.