NHL Network will broadcast every game of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. It includes comprehensive coverage of the US National Junior Team, which will play the first of four preliminary round matches in Group A against Germany at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa on Thursday (2:30 p.m. ET). The United States will also play Latvia (Dec. 28), Finland (Dec. 29) and Canada (Dec. 31). The playoff round begins on January 2.
NHL Network's EJ Hradek will handle the play-by-play with former NHL forward Tony Granato providing color commentary. Mike Kelly and John Morosi will also be part of the coverage, and longtime NCAA hockey analyst Dave Starman will provide in-studio analysis and give his three keys to victory for the USA before each of its games during the 11-day tournament.
“USA's schedule every year is unique…do they start with extended exhibition play or do they get a top-five team early?” Starman said. “This year, they will be partnering Finland and Canada in Games 3 and 4 respectively. Games 1 and 2 provide unique pre-scouting opportunities for the big boys while also getting some direct reps of the world's first-year junior players under game conditions and using vets to move into bigger roles.
“Germany is a federation that has improved in developing its players at under-20 level, but if you want to bet on pizza with a friend, take the USA and score 3 and a half goals.”
Here are Starman's three keys to a US victory over Germany:
1. There are no injuries
“The key to winning Game 7 of this tournament, as I've been told by the 10 different coaches I've worked with in this tournament, is 'stay healthy, stay healthy, and strong play has to be a game-changer.'” While high-end teams are full of depth, if you lose a player An early starter, the loss of Jack Hughes during the opener in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2019 saw them miss out on their top spot and it wasn't the same when he returned to the medal round where gold medalist Kaapo Kakko scored before Just over a minute to give Finland the gold medal.
2. Goalkeeper's decision
“This is a game that the third goalie on the roster has to win, but your best goalie has to play it. I remember Spencer Knight was a little mediocre in the loss to Russia in the opener a few years ago. He just got it out of the way as he went along.” “Going forward, but No. 1 playing well in Game 1 is important for morale.”
3. Building “acceptance”
“The buy-in has to start for real. Yes, some top-six forwards have played the last six minutes in exhibition games, and they know that's the deal now. Yes, guys who are power plays in college hockey aren't going to do that.” You should now begin the sign-up process for whatever role you have been selected to play. In a game like the one on December 26, minutes should be distributable, but the top players still need their minutes. I won't say which teams, out of respect for the players, but I've been around a couple of teams in the 16 of these tournaments I've been in, where I know there have been rumblings about roles, ice time, etc. Those teams didn't go anywhere.
