Connelly Wins Gold with Team USA at 2025 World Junior Championship | Vegas Golden Knights

The 2025 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship wrapped up on Sunday with Team USA and Golden Knights prospect Trevor Connelly winning gold, and Team Finland and fellow VGK prospect Tuomas Uronen winning silver. Mathieu Cataford also participated for Team Canada, who finished in fifth place. This was the first time for all three Vegas prospects to participate in World Juniors.

Trevor Connelly – USA
Golden Knights 2024 first-round draft pick, Connelly, joined Team USA for the first time in the U20 World Junior Tournament. However, Connelly is no stranger to Team USA. He won silver with his country at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship. This year, the 18-year-old won his first gold medal with Team USA, notching four points (1G, 3A) in seven games. To open the tournament, Connelly recorded a multi-point game, tallying a goal and an assist in the 10-4 victory over Germany. He also notched an assist on each go-ahead goal against Canada (4-1 W) and Czechia (4-1 W). Connelly averaged a +3 for the tournament. Since this is his first year at the U20 World Juniors, the forward can join Team USA at the 2026 IIHF World Juniors Tournament in Minnesota.

Tuomas Uronen – Finland
Uronen joined Team Finland for the first time at World Juniors. Uronen played for Team Finland in the 2022 and 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship, winning bronze in 2022. This year, Uronen had the opportunity to join Team Finland on the big stage in which the team made it all the way to the final. Team Finland ended up losing to Team USA in overtime, 4-3. Uronen notched three points (2G, 1A) in seven games. The forward proved difficult against Team USA, scoring both of his goals in the tournament against the USA. Uronen notched the overtime game-winning goal against Team USA in the preliminary round and had a goal in the gold medal game. His assist came in the 3-1 victory over Team Germany. Uronen averaged a +3 for the tournament.

Mathieu Cataford – Canada
Cataford joined Team Canada for the first time ever in his career this year. Cataford tallied one goal in a 3-0 shutout victory against Team Germany and averaged a +3 for his entry into World Juniors. Team Canada finished in fifth place after losing to Czechia in the quarterfinals. Cataford will return to the QMJHL and Rimouski Océanic where he remains as one of the top scorers on the team with 38 points (11G, 27A).