USA’s World Junior camp opened today in Plymouth, Michigan. Team USA will only have to make four cuts from its roster, but plenty of questions remain about the U.S. squad’s roster construction.

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The pressure is on to become the first U.S. team to win back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championship with as many as 10 returnees, plus the entire coaching and support staff back. To do it, USA will have to make some tough decisions, be prepared to adjust and let their veteran leaders take charge.

With camp underway and plenty left to be decided, here’s a look at some of the burning questions Team USA will have to answer before selecting its final roster for the 2025 World Junior Championship.

Who gets the coveted open spot on USA’s Top Power Play?

USA is going to have one of the most potent power play groupings on paper with returnees Ryan Leonard (WSH), Gabe Perreault (NYR) and Zeev Buium (MIN) all there, and James Hagens (2025) surely getting a key role with that group. But there’s still an open spot.

So who gets it? If the early practices are any indication, the first player to get a crack at it is St. Cloud State’s Austin Burnevik (ANA). According to sources at USA’s practice today, Burnevik was in the bumper position on the first power-play unit.

Four of Burnevik’s nine goals at SCSU this season have come on the advantage. He also had 11 during a 40-goal campaign in the USHL last season. The 6-foot-4 forward has really blossomed over the last year-plus.

Additionally, St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson is running Team USA’s power play, which means Burnevik should have the best chance at a seamless transition into understanding the system and his role in it.

What Will USA's Second Power Play Look Like?

Special teams is so critical in any short tournament and with how loaded Team USA’s first unit is, having a credible second unit is going to be a big part generating good looks on the advantage.

The expectation all along has been that Cole Hutson (WSH) will be the defenseman running things at the top for the U.S. and if you’re bringing Cole Eiserman (NYI), you’re bringing him to hammer pucks on the power play first and foremost. Finding the players that fit around those two is where it gets interesting.

I think there’s going to be plenty of moving parts on this unit to find the right mix ahead of the tournament and I wouldn’t be shocked to see multiple players get a chance with the second unit. Among those that could be in th mix, Danny Nelson (NYI), Brodie Ziemer (BUF) and Trevor Connelly (VGK), each of whom got reps with the second unit according to some sources on site.

I could also see late camp addition Max Plante (DET) getting a look there and potentially adding Oliver Moore (CHI) to the mix, though I think Moore will be one of USA’s primary penalty killers as well.

What Are Blake Fiddler’s Team USA Chances?

The biggest surprise to USA’s camp roster was the inclusion of 17-year-old Blake Fiddler, who will have the chance to be the first underager from outside of the NTDP to make the World Junior roster since Brian Lee made it out of the Minnesota high school ranks in 2005. It’s just not something we’ve seen much and as a result, I think Fiddler has plenty to prove.

The only reason you bring a 17-year-old defenseman to the tournament is if he is markedly better than your other options. There are so many variables in this tournament and with Fiddler’s international experience being at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, which is quite a bit removed from the World Juniors, there’s a lot of unknown with the youngster.

What is known, however, is that his size is a factor, he can move and there’s enough offensive game there for him to potentially pop in some points from the back end.

But if he’s going to make the team, you have to be able to trust him at five-on-five. He likely has to beat out one of or both of Adam Kleber (BUF) and Colin Ralph (STL), both of whom have been playing well in the NCAA ranks this year.

How Does USA Structure Its Forwards After Top Line?

We basically know that USA is going to be running out Perreault, Leonard and Hagens as their top line. They have the chemistry and experience to play with each other and they are USA’s most talented players. That’s an easy one.

What’s harder to determine is how does USA structure lines two through four?

Center depth is probably the biggest reason the picture isn’t abundantly clear. USA has returnees Oliver Moore (CHI) and Danny Nelson (NYI) that can and probably will play down the middle. They can also use Carey Terrance (ANA) or Chris Pelosi (BOS) in a depth center role as well.

The reason we think Connelly is likely to be on the final roster is that he has clear top-six ability and could potentially provide higher-end secondary scoring. Eiserman is in the same boat, even though there might be a little less trust with him at five-on-five as opposed to the power play.

It seems as though Austin Burnevik is going to get a long look up USA’s lineup. While I think he’s most useful on the power play, I don’t anticipate him staying idle at five-on-five. The question is more likely whether he’s part of USA’s top six or on the third line.

USA has a lot of good fourth line options with big bodies Brandon Svoboda (SJS) and AJ Spellacy (CHI) looking like they could play on the wing on the fourth line. I could see either of Terrance or Pelosi centering that unit.

There’s a lot of options, but USA has to find the appropriate mix to generate consistent offense. They can’t afford to become a one-line team, and I do think there’s some potential risk that they don’t maximize that scoring attack based on what the player pool is dictating.

This forward group, in my estimation, is not particularly close to the team that won it all last year. But it is certainly good enough to break through.

What Players Are On Team USA's Roster Bubble?

USA’s roster has plenty of questions left for who ultimately makes the final roster. Keep in mind, this is more my opinion because at this stage of camp, coaches and others won't be tipping their hand to ensure the best possible competition. This is what I'm thinking for bubble players right now....

At forward: Joey Willis (NSH), Max Plante (DET), Chris Pelosi (BOS), Teddy Stiga (NSH)

On defense: Logan Hensler (2025), Aram Minnetian (DAL), Blake Fiddler (2025), Adam Kleber (BUF), Colin Ralph (STL)

USA is going to have to cut two players from both the forward and defense groups before finalizing their roster. We'll see how much time they take to make their decisions.

How To Watch The 2025 World Junior Championship

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will air on TSN and RDS on television in Canada. The tournament will be streamed on TSN+ in Canada, as well. 

In the United States, NHL Network will be the television home of the World Junior Championship. Streaming information for USA is not currently available.

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