The U.S. National Junior Team is beginning to take shape for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which opens Dec. 26 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. Team USA will be going for its unprecedented third-straight gold medal on home ice and now we have an idea of who will take on that challenge.

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USA Hockey announced a 28-player roster for the team’s pre-tournament training camp. Each team can register up to 25 players – three goaltenders and 22 skaters – for the World Juniors. Two goalies and 20 skaters can be active for any game during the tournament.

Team USA will hold its training camp in Duluth, Minn., starting Dec. 15. They will play two pre-tournament games in Duluth including Dec. 21 against Germany and Dec. 23 against Finland. Both games will be at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth.

Per USA Hockey, the plan is to name the final roster by Dec. 24.

Here is Team USA’s preliminary roster by position group and stay tuned below for some instant analysis from Chris Peters coming soon.

Forwards

• Kamil Bednarik, C, Boston University (NYI)
• Trevor Connelly, LW, Henderson Silver Knights (VGK)
• Cole Eiserman, LW, Boston University (NYI)
• James Hagens, C, Boston College (BOS)
• Will Horcoff, C/W, Michigan (PIT)
• Jacob Kvasnicka, LW, Penticton Vees (NYI)
• Ryker Lee, RW, Michigan State (NSH)
• Cole McKinney, C, Michigan (SJS)
• Brendan McMorrow, LW, Denver (LAK)
• LJ Mooney, C/W, Minnesota (MTL)
• Max Plante, RW, Minnesota Duluth (DET)
• A.J. Spellacy, RW, Windsor Spitfires (CHI)
• Teddy Stiga, LW, Boston College (NSH)
• Shane Vansaghi, LW, Michigan State (PHI)
• Brodie Ziemer, RW, Minnesota (BUF)

Defensemen

• Asher Barnett, LHD, Michigan (EDM)
• Henry Brzustewicz, LHD, London Knights (LAK)
• EJ Emery, RHD, North Dakota (NYR)
• Blake Fiddler, RHD, Edmonton Oil Kings (SEA)
• Logan Hensler, RHD, Wisconsin (OTT)
• Cole Hutson, LHD, Boston University (WSH)
• Adam Kleber, RHD, Minnesota Duluth (BUF)
• Luke Osburn, LHD, Wisconsin (BUF)
• Chase Reid, RHD, Soo Greyhounds (2026)
• Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen, LHD, Michigan

Goalies

• Caleb Heil, Madison Capitols (TBL)
• Nick Kempf, Notre Dame (WSH)
• AJ Reyelts, Penticton Vees

Instant Analysis Of Team USA’s Camp Roster

Roster Construction

Team USA had to go a bit against type for its camp roster. Multiple players who were not in their summer evaluation camp got invited to the final camp with a few from outside of their expected selection pool.

Players who were not in summer camp that were invited here: Chase Reid, Asher Barnett, AJ Reyelts and Brendan McMorrow.

Defense was the area with the largest number of question marks and the additional headache of an injury to Tanner Henricks, who I’m pretty sure would have been on the final roster. USA is plugging some of those holes with options who will still have to push for a spot.

Barnett has been a key player in Michigan’s impressive start to the year, playing a regular role while also collecting eight assists so far. Meanwhile, Reid – who was left off USA’s U18 World Championship roster – is one of the players getting an invite for this camp and has an honest shot to make the team. Reid is an expected top-15 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft.

McMorrow has good international experience, had a big postseason in the USHL last year and can probably fit somewhere in a depth role. USA's bottom six has some spots available, which is why I think we're seeing guys like McMorrow get an extra look. He has some versatility USA could use.

Meanwhile, USA’s shallow net opened the door for a complete outsider to get in there, which Reyelts most certainly is with no prior international experience. 

USA Will Lean Heavily On Returnees

Experience matters in the tournament and USA has an awful lot of it. Nine players from last year’s team have been invited to training camp and I’d assume all of them make the final squad. This is a moment for James Hagens, Cole Hutson, Cole Eiserman and the like to take over a team and show what they can do at the top of their game.

USA has three returning blueliners and six returning forwards that know what it takes to win gold. Both Hagens and Teddy Stiga scored big goals in the gold-medal game. Eiserman scored a big one against Canada, while Hutson led all defensemen in scoring. There’s a lot of talent in this group even if the depth looks a little less impressive.

The Goaltending Conundrum 

It’s a very interesting goaltending situation for Team USA. Nick Kempf and Caleb Heil have international experience and are likely the No. 1 and No. 2 goalies, in that order. Kempf has played in some big games at the U17 Challenge and U18 Worlds and has played well enough at Notre Dame for USA to maintain some confidence in him as the No. 1.

Additionally, USA Hockey is having Heil still play at the World Junior A Challenge, which will end right before USA’s camp begins. It’s pretty rare a player goes to that tournament and the World Juniors, but USA has enough familiarity with Heil that it made sense to get him some international reps before joining the team. 

A.J. Reyelts was a surprise selection as the No. 3 goalie. He had a sub-.900 save percentage for Cedar Rapids last season and is just over .900 with Penticton in the WHL this year. Odds are he won’t see the ice much, but I wondered if it would make sense for Team USA to bring in a younger goalie who will be back next year – like Brady Knowling or perhaps Ottawa 67’s netminder Ryder Fetterolf. In the end, they went with a veteran.

This is Kempf’s net to lose, but I think Heil is a formidable option should Team USA go that direction. No matter how you slice it, it’s a ways away from Trey Augustine, who played in each of the last three World Juniors for Team USA and became the first goalie to go back-to-back with a gold medal.

Notable Omissions

Probably the most notable player not to receive an invite to camp was Calgary Flames first-rounder Cullen Potter. The Arizona State sophomore has a lot of tools including elite speed, but has had an uneven season. I wasn't terribly shocked to see him left off, though I thought USA's shallow center position would put him in the mix. Alas, it did not. USA must have figured if he wasn't going to be part of their top six, there wasn't a spot for him here.

Among other notable omissions, you could potentially say Will Moore is one. He has been a solid contributor for a Boston College team that has struggled. He also had a solid summer camp, but it's also more difficult to see where the role was going to be for him. USA has a heavier bottom six and Moore thrives more in the skill game. 

North Dakota forward Will Zellers is a player that has been red-hot and I wondered if USA would want that hot hand in the mix for them as a potential down-the-lineup depth scorer. He's another guy I thought we might see get an invite, but may not have been a natural fit in an assured bottom-six role.

I thought USA would go young with their third goalie. Brady Knowling won the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and was a standout at the CHL-USA Series. He hasn't had a great overall year with how the U18 has struggled, but I thought he might get a look in camp as a potential future option for this team.

Beyond that, there were not a lot of big surprises here. I think USA has a lot of tough final decisions to make, especially when it comes to the depth of their blue line and one forward line. Structuring the team properly with a bit of a deficit compared to some other top teams is going to be critical. Which may means there could yet be some surprising cuts out of camp.

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