We got our first glimpse of Team USA’s lineup for the 2025 World Junior Championship Saturday night as they played in a pre-tournament game against Slovakia. It was the first real look at how things would potentially look when the tournament begins on Dec. 26 after the team was officially named.

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Notably, Team USA did not dress projected No. 1 goalie Trey Augustine in the game and was able to dress their full roster of 22 skaters, which is not what will happen during the tournament. They’ll be limited to 20 skaters and two goalies.

Aside from that, we’re starting to see how head coach David Carle would like to arrange his team.

Here are the lines and defense pairings that Team USA started with against Slovakia. These, of course, can change before the games go live and there are probably a few decisions the U.S. brass has to make about who will dress and how they’ll ultimately line up for real.

Let’s take a look…

Team USA Early Lineup

Team USA WJC Forward Lines (vs. Slovakia, Dec. 21)

Gabe Perreault (NYR) – James Hagens (2025) – Ryan Leonard (WSH)

Trevor Connelly (VGK) – Danny Nelson (NYI) – Cole Eiserman (NYI)

Teddy Stiga (NSH) – Oliver Moore (CHI) – Brodie Ziemer (BUF)

Austin Burnevik (ANA) – Carey Terrance (ANA) – Brandon Svoboda (SJS)

Extras: Joey Willis (NSH), Max Plante (DET)

Team USA Defense Pairings (vs. Slovakia, Dec. 21)

Drew Fortescue (NYR) – Zeev Buium (MIN)

Cole Hutson (WSH) – Adam Kleber (BUF)

Colin Ralph (STL) – Aram Minnetian (DAL)

Paul Fischer (EDM) – Logan Hensler (2025)

Goaltending Tandem (vs. Slovakia, Dec. 21)

Sam Hillebrandt

Hampton Slukynsky (LAK)

Not Dressed: Trey Augustine (DET)

Team USA Lineup Analysis - Forwards

It was no surprise to see USA’s top line look as it does with the BC3, Perreault, Hagens and Leonard holding it down. 

What we didn’t know is who would get a look as USA’s No. 2 center. In the early goings, it appears that Danny Nelson is that guy. He has 13 points at Notre Dame this year and isn’t exactly a play driver, but he’s a smart, powerful forward who can play in a lot of different situations. He’d really just have to be a facilitator to Cole Eiserman and Trevor Connelly anyway, but that’s a pretty critical role.

I also wasn’t sure what USA’s third line would look like, but early on it’s going to be Teddy Stiga with Oliver Moore and Brodie Ziemer. Moore and Ziemer have familiarity with each other from playing at Minnesota this year. Stiga and Ziemer were flanking James Hagens for large stretches of last season. It’s an undersized trio, but Moore’s speed is game-changing, while Stiga and Ziemer have good motors to go along with sometimes underrated skill.

The fourth line was about to be expected. Terrance has good speed and I wouldn’t rule out his moving up USA’s lineup potentially as he can show more offense, but he’s really effective as a speedy two-way center. Burnevik brings size and scoring ability. I think he’ll do most of his damage on the power play, while Svoboda likely kills penalties and helps bring some physicality and speed to the table.

When it comes to who will be the 13th forward, Plante has more power play potential than Willis, I think, but Willis is having a great season in the OHL and could ride that momentum into finding a role for this squad.

Lineup Analysis - Defense

The defense was certainly something I wanted to get a look at. How was USA going to structure its pairings? I think this is the weak point of Team USA, which isn’t to say it’s not good enough to compete. I just think that compared to the forwards and goalies, this is the area that lags.

USA’s top pairing is going to play a ton. Buium and Fortescue can play comfortably on their off side and they’re a good balanced pair for USA. I even think Buium and Fortescue work as a shutdown pairing, that’s how much I think Buium’s defending has improved. That said, he needs to be able to cook offensively and Fortescue should let him.

Seeing Adam Kleber in a top-four role at least to start was a bit surprising. It was less surprising, however, to see a more shut-down minded player alongside Cole Hutson. He needs to take risks to be effective and USA needs someone to reliably clean things up if they go wrong. Kleber gets the first look,but I would not be surprised to see Hensler get some run there, too.

Beyond Buium and Hutson, USA’s blue line lacks a dynamic element. Those two guys have enough to make up for the group. Aram Minnetian in managed minutes could help bring some good puck movement, and I’m still really curious to see how Colin Ralph handles himself in this setting as he’s never played internationally before. 

Paul Fischer is a bit of a utility player in that I think he can fit a lot of roles and be reliable.

Seeing USA’s D corps on paper in this configuration for the first time lays out why I think this is the group that will have to be managed a bit more than any of the other positions. I also think USA should be quick to make adjustments with such little experience outside of their top pairing.

We’ll have to wait and see how things play out.

Lineup Analysis – Goalies

As for the goaltending, we all know this is Trey Augustine’s net. Both Sam Hillebrandt and Hampton Slukynsky will get looks to familiarize themselves, but I would not anticipate either playing much going into the tournament. It’s Augustine’s crease and they’re there to help when needed.

Follow FloHockey's Coverage Of Team USA At The WJC

FloHockey is providing comprehensive editorial and video coverage of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. With a team of content creators on site and leading WJC analyst Chris Peters providing stories and columns throughout the event, make FloHockey your home to learn more about the 2025 World Juniors. FloHockey will be following Team USA and Team Canada closely, while tracking the rest of the tournament on site. See all the stories here.

In addition to comprehensive editorial coverage, FloHockey is helping you learn more about Team USA with a number of video features with select players. Here's what we have so far, with more to come!

Original Video Features

• Trey Augustine Prepares For Third WJC
• James Hagens Ready For The Spotlight
• David Carle Looks To Become First Coach To Go Back-To-Back
• Carey Terrance Looking To Represent USA, Akwesasne Reservation
• Ryan Leonard Says NHL Can Wait As He Chases Another Gold With Team USA

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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