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.

The 2026 World Juniors has the same format it followed in 2025, with two, five-team groups battling it out to get the easiest path through the knockout rounds and reach for the WJC gold medal on January 5.

The pinnacle of Junior hockey in the world returns on December 26 with the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship—nestling deeply into the United States' hockey nucleus that are Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

The World Junior Championship is now just six weeks away. This is the time when decision makers are narrowing down their list for who will get an invite to camp and who is ultimately going to be on the final roster.

MINNEAPOLIS – Following the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase, there appears to be plenty of work to be done when it comes to building the U.S. roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS – The World Junior Summer Showcase is a great opportunity to get a look at some of the top teams as they prepare for December’s World Junior Championship. It also might end up being one of the largest collections of NHL prospects under one roof at any other point this season.

MINNEAPOLIS – Canada will get things started at the World Junior Summer Showcase with a split-squad game between Canada White and Canada Red. The game will feature all of Canada’s available players including 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer playing in his first competitive hockey game since being injured at the 2025 World Junior Championship last December.

Canada’s first steps towards erasing back-to-back World Junior Championship disappointments will begin at the World Junior Summer Showcase, which is underway in Minneapolis, Minn., and will run through Aug. 2.

The World Junior Summer Showcase is an important precursor to the World Junior Championship, which kicks off on Dec. 26 in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota later this year. Four countries will come to compete and give evaluators a chance to see everyone in the same place as they look to build their rosters for December.