2025 World Junior Championship: 10 things learned | NHL.com

American made

The United States won its third championship in the past five years after reeling off four straight wins and outscoring the opposition 19-7 after a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland in the preliminary round. It was the 16th time the Americans took home a medal from the World Juniors.

Hutson became the first defenseman to lead the World Juniors in scoring, finishing with 11 points (three goals, eight assists). Perreault tied for the U.S. lead in scoring among forwards with 10 points (three goals, seven assists). James Hagens, a projected top four pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, had nine points (five goals, four assists).

“When I watch James, I see a confident player with an ability to recognize plays before others see them,” NHL Network analyst and former NHL forward Tony Granato said. “If I’m an NHL scout, I hoping we win the NHL Draft lottery because, otherwise, you’re not getting him.”

Defenseman Zeev Buium (Minnesota Wild) had six points (two goals, four assists) and led the United States in average ice time (25:13 in seven games).

Goalie Trey Augustine (Red Wings) had four wins in five starts to become the all-time leader in victories at World Juniors (12), a 2.52 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. He made 38 saves in a 4-1 win against Canada on New Year’s Eve, 26 in a 4-1 semifinal-round triumph against Czechia and 21 in the gold-medal victory.