ESPOO, Finland -- James Hagens continued his torrid scoring pace with two goals and an assist against Switzerland as Team USA cruised to a 4-0 win at the 2024 IIHF Men's World Under-18 Championship. Goalie Nick Kempf made 17 saves to preserve the shutout.

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The Americans will await the results of the other quarterfinals before learning of their semifinal opponent.

After a scoreless first period where Team USA struggled to convert, Hagens broke open the scoring after Brodie Ziemer forced a turnover at the offensive blue line and sprung Hagens for an open look. The 17-year-old scored with authority to throw a little more wind in USA's sails.

After the U.S. found itself in some penalty trouble in the middle of the period, Christian Humprheys added a key insurance goal when a Swiss defender failed to clear the puck and instead put it right on Humphreys' tape. The Michigan commit found the back of the net for his third goal of the tournament.

Under three minutes later, Hagens returned the favor to Ziemer, finding USA's captain wide open on a two-on-one. Ziemer slipped a shot inside the right post to put Team USA ahead by three.

The Americans had a 16-6 shots-on-goal advantage in the middle frame and didn't look back even amid some uneven play in the third period.

Hagens scored another goal midway through the third period to leave no doubt about the result. He beat a defender wide before cutting to the net and jamming home his tournament-leading ninth goal.

James Hagens stays hot at #U18Worlds! Here is his third point of USA’s 4-0 win over Switzerland in the semis. He’s three points away from breaking Nikita Kucherov’s single-tournament scoring record with two games to play. 😧 pic.twitter.com/Uhi4J1Jmv1

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) May 2, 2024

The Long Island native now has 19 points in the tournament, which is the most ever by a player in his draft-minus-one season. Hagens is not draft eligible until 2025 and is expected to be among the top picks if not the No. 1 selection in a year's time. 

His next point will match Jack Hughes and Will Smith, who co-hold the U.S. single-tournament scoring record with 20 points. Hughes set his record in 2019, while Smith had his historic tournament last year. Hagens, who was on the team with Smith last year, is on a pace to not only set the U.S. record, but to also break the tournament record which is currently held by Nikita Kucherov, who scored 21 points at the 2011 World U18s. 

The Americans will await the results of the remaining quarterfinals including Latvia vs. Canada, Czechia vs. Slovakia, and Sweden vs. Finland, with the tournament bracket being re-seeded following the quarterfinals.

Team USA will either play at 7 a.m. or 11 a.m. ET with either game being played in Espoo, Finland.

How Do I Watch The IIHF World Under-18 Championship in the U.S.?

NHL Network will carry Team USA's games and select others live on television in the United States. Streaming information is not yet available.

How Do I Watch The IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Canada?

TSN is expected to broadcast every game from the 2024 IIHF Men's World U18 Championship with many games appearing on one of TSN's family of networks. The tournament will also be streamed in Canada on TSN+.

Team USA’s U18 Worlds Schedule

• April 25: Slovakia vs. USA, W, 10-0
• April 27: USA vs. Norway, W, 8-2
• April 28: Latvia vs. USA, W, 7-1
• April 30: USA vs. Finland, W, 9-4
• May 2: Quarterfinals vs. Switzerland, W, 4-0
• May 4: Semifinals 7 a.m. ET OR 11 a.m. ET
• May 5: Medal Games TBD

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