PLYMOUTH, Michigan – At the World Junior Summer Showcase, Team USA had some clear luxuries with the returnees they have at forward and in net. But the defense is going to still be a work in progress with three returnees from last year’s roster including one who did not play in any games.

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• What You Need To Know About The World Junior Summer Showcase
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Building the blue line is going to be one of the more difficult tasks for the coaching staff and decision makers, but the good news is that they have a wide variety of styles of play, sizes and they have more handedness variety this year after a very heavy left-shot group last season.

If you're wondering how your favorite team's prospects performed, here are some notes from me after a full week in Plymouth at camp.

See Evaluations for all of Team USA's forwards at the World Junior Summer Showcase here.

Defensemen

Zeev Buium, LHD (MIN)

The clear-cut option for USA to be their No. 1 defenseman, Buium looked it in camp before he was sent home with the other returnees. His skill and skating gave the opposition a lot to handle and he also got engaged physically. His defending continues to look strong after really improving it in the second half last year. He’ll be playing big minutes in Ottawa.

Zeev Buium dancing at the USA World Junior Summer Showcase 😮‍💨

(via @usahockey, @hall1289) pic.twitter.com/wmjPtzyzPL

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 29, 2024

EJ Emery, RHD (NYR)

Emery had a shaky first few days, but settled in. At his best, he is a high-end stopper who can defend the rush and kill plays. Defensively, there’s really no doubt about what he can do with his size and skating ability. He can stand to get stronger, but that's going to be true of most players his age. The offensive elements of his game still have a ways to go, but once he unlocks that, he has star potential. While there are few locks to make this U.S. blue line, I would put Emery in the "likely" category for inclusion on the roster.

Paul Fischer, LHD (STL)

Fischer had a strong camp. He’s a high-end skater and smart defender, but doesn’t have much to offer offensively beyond a good first pass. He was more active in this camp jumping into plays and making himself a more credible threat. I think he could be a shutdown guy for this team very easily, likely as a five or six, killing penalties and getting some tougher matchups. To me, he's probably on the bubble to make it, but I think he'll have a strong case to be invited to December camp.

Lukas Fischer, LHD (STL)

There’s a lot to like about Fischer’s game, which is so clearly still in development. He has a rawness to him, but there were some flashes of good offense and physical defending. He shoots the puck hard and showed some better hands than I thought. He’s a big guy with good mobility and while I think the best is yet to come, I don’t foresee him being on this roster in December.

Drew Fortescue, LHD (NYR)

Fortescue is likely a lock to be on the final roster, but did not participate in camp in any of the on-ice portions. He was in Plymouth for the first bit to be around the team, but was unavailable on the ice. I'd expect him to play top-four minutes for USA at the World Juniors.

Logan Hensler, RHD (2025)

Hensler is still a work in progress as he heads into his draft year, but the foundation is a very strong one. He’s an excellent skater with size and his offensive game is starting to show more refinement. I’d like him to make some quicker decisions and just be more decisive in general, but the mobility he brings with size could be helpful to Team USA. I would term him as on the bubble to make Team USA. He defends well enough and has that size and skating ability that can help, but we’ll have to see how his first half goes at Wisconsin.

Cole Hutson, LHD (WSH)

Hutson looks to have solidified himself as the front-runner to be USA’s No. 2 power play point man. He is an excellent distributor and his ability to transport pucks through the neutral zone was on display all week long. He’s smart and competitive, defends adequately at his size and can be an offensive threat on top of that. With Buium likely playing big minutes, I think Hutson will be used in more of a secondary role.

Adam Kleber, RHD (BUF)

Kleber is such a big player and has some impressive mobility at his size. He’s got the reach and good defensive stick to be tough to get around. He’s also physical enough, but if he gets even a little meaner he’d be a bit tougher to play against. There’s so much to like about what he could potentially bring to USA. He moves pucks well enough and seems to handle pressure well off of the forecheck. I think he’ll be one of the guys in the selection camp at least, barring a poor first half at Minnesota Duluth. I could see him on the roster, but he'll be among those on the bubble to make it yet.

Matt Mania, RHD (LAK)

Mania can absolutely fly and his skating ability is useful. However, I don’t think he defends adequately enough and there wasn’t enough of plays made to justify the deficiencies on the back end. I just can't see USA's staff trusting him enough to have him on the roster in December. The skating ability certainly is a standout trait, though.

Gavin McCarthy, RHD (BUF)

McCarthy didn’t have a particularly strong week. He’s got size and as a right-shot, he’s got some tools that are helpful. I think the pace got him a little bit in camp as some of his puck decisions were rushed. He has the frame and the ability to defend, but I don’t think he outshone some of his closest competition for spots and I think it will take a big first half at BU to change some minds about his chances to make the team.

Aram Minnetian, RHD (DAL)

As a returning player, even though he didn’t play last year, Minnetian has eyes on a bigger role next tournament. He’ll have a chance, but I didn’t think he had a particularly strong camp. He’s a player the staff knows and how he handled last year’s situation where he wasn’t playing will be remembered positively. His skating ability is a factor, but I thought his puck decisions left a lot to be desired and his defending wasn’t especially strong, though I thought he showed some good flashes against Canada. If he can find the form he played with at the end of last season with BC, he won’t have as hard a time making the final roster. Minnetian is more of a bubble player for me right now, but I think when it comes down to it, he will make the roster in December. 

Tory Pitner, RHD (COL)

Pitner got injured in one of the early games in camp, so he did not get a chance to finish. The staff put him in some pretty good spots to prove himself. He’s a sturdy defender with solid enough skating ability and can engage physically. I didn’t see a ton that would suggest he will be a serious contender for the roster in camp, but he’ll have a first half at Denver with coach David Carle to prove otherwise.

Colin Ralph, LHD (STL)

Ralph is a massive human and I can see a lot of the potential there in him. I don’t think it will materialize quickly enough for him to be on USA’s roster this year. He has some really intriguing physical elements, but I didn’t like a lot of his puck decisions and thought he struggled with the pace of this tournament at times. That said, he had his best game against Canada and was able to effectively ramp up his physicality. I don't think he's quite ready to be trusted at the World Junior level, but the flashes he showed against Canada gave me a little more optimism for how his freshman season will go at St. Cloud State.

Zach Schulz, LHD (NYI)

Schulz is going to have a chance to be on the roster as a shut-down option, but the competition will remain open. The former captain of the U.S. U18 team, Schulz has the right kind of experience and plays the right style to find a spot, but it’s no guarantee. He has good skating ability, but limited offense, which is not uncommon among this group. There's a good chance one of Schulz or Paul Fischer will be on the team, but the former NTDP teammates play such a similar game it will be one or the other. Schulz as a former NTDP captain may have the edge, but I think it will take the rest of fall to figure out.

Andrew Strathmann, LHD (CBJ)

Strathmann seemed to have some trouble this week. He got a chance on the power play to showcase himself and it wasn’t overly effective. Without providing much offense and having trouble in his own end, it’s hard to see a path for him to make the team. He’s going to be transitioning to college hockey this year and it should be interesting to see how quickly he gets into the mix in North Dakota to give himself a chance.

John Whipple, LHD (DET)

Whipple plays an abrasive style and certainly annoyed a number of his opponents. He also took a few unnecessary penalties. I don’t think he’s going to be in the mix this year, but he’ll certainly have a chance to make it in 2026 in his home state of Minnesota. He held his own this week, but more time and strength building at Minnesota will prepare him to be ready next time around.

Goaltenders

Trey Augustine (DET)

Team USA’s starter and two-time WJC medalist really has no threat to his seat as the No. 1. He played two periods this week and didn’t allow a goal. His sharpness between the pipes was evident and the coaching staff even said they thought he’s looked stronger and even more composed. His ability to control everything in front of him and read plays is high-end. He’s the key to USA’s hopes to repeat.

Sam Hillebrandt 

Hillebrandt had some really strong moments and some tough ones. In a start against Sweden, he had a particularly tough time allowing three goals in his first four shots faced. Him being part of Team USA’s roster as their No. 3 helps him, but it won’t be enough to just lock him into the slot. A lot of other things have to be considered, but I don’t view him as a serious contender for the No. 2 role.

Nick Kempf (WSH)

As the youngest goalie in camp, you have to think USA would love Kempf to make their roster next year so he can gain experience before the 2026 World Juniors. Kempf had some solid flashes over the course of the tournament. He moves post to post well, but was still prone to giving up that one goal you just can’t. I think he’s in the driver’s seat to be USA’s No. 3 goalie at worst either way.

Carsen Musser (UTA)

A massive goalie with good mobility, Musser’s first start was excellent, but he had some tougher moments as the showcase wore on. I don’t know that he will get the playing time he needs at Colorado College to seriously contend for a spot on USA’s roster as he has Kaiden Mbereko as an incumbent starter there. Either way, Musser was a good invite to camp because he showed when he’s on his game, he is a viable option. Consistency is still going to be a work in progress.

Hampton Slukynsky (LAK)

The front-runner to back up Augustine, Slukynsky was excellent in camp and made a great last impression in his shootout win over Canada. His athleticism and flexibility allow him to make saves other goalies cannot. Slukynsky also clearly has the confidence to play in the big games, providing a steady presence between the pipes. Getting a full game against Canada and securing the win against a highly-skilled team was certainly the lasting memory he wanted to give the coaching staff to prove he belonged. I thought Slukynsky could have been in the mix for last year’s team, too, but he made the most of his season in the USHL and looks ready to wear the stars and stripes at the WJC.

Goalies.

That's it. That's the post.
(No, but really. How is Hampton Slukynsky doing that?)@usahockey | @FargoForce | @USHL #WJSS #USHL pic.twitter.com/0rmS4PjkDQ

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) July 30, 2024

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