USA Hockey World Junior Ice Hockey Champions 2024 Shirt. The 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship will be hosted by the twin cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, as selected by USA Hockey. Near Colorado Springs, Colorado, – The 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Hockey Championship will be held in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to a statement released today by USA Hockey. Played over the course of ten days, the championship competition involves the top men’s players under the age of twenty from ten different nations. The IIHF World Junior Championship will celebrate half a century of competition in 2026. The sites for the competition will be 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis and Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, which is home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher expressed his excitement about hosting the 50th anniversary World Juniors in the United States. We can guarantee that the teams and spectators will have an unforgettable experience at these first-rate venues. The other finalists deserve public recognition for the efforts they put into their ideas, and I thank them all. Ultimately, the choice was exceedingly challenging. An expression of gratitude was extended by Luc Tardif, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, to USA Hockey and the Minnesota organizers. Hosting the 50th anniversary of this legendary championship in Minnesota, a state brimming with hockey history, is sure to be a fitting tribute. According to Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, “Minneapolis is thrilled to host the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship – another major sporting event that brings excitement and an economic boost to the state.” And Walz isn’t the only one. “We look forward to welcoming teams and fans from across the globe and showing everyone what it means to be the State of Hockey.” Xcel Energy Center, the Minnesota Wild, the University of Minnesota, and Minnesota Sports and Events were the partners that brought the event to Minnesota. “It’s really an honor to be selected,” stated Wendy Blackshaw, president and CEO of Minnesota Sports and Events. We are thrilled to host the tournament and introduce the world to the Twin Cities, where many of the participants will go on to have illustrious careers in the National Hockey League. Our mission is straightforward: to host the most spectacular World Juniors that America has ever seen. According to USA Hockey president Mike Trimboli, “We don’t have the chance to host this tournament often and we are thrilled to partner with our friends in Minnesota to stage what we know will be a fantastic World Junior Hockey Championship.” So says Trimboli. “Every year, fans eagerly anticipate the tournament, which has become an integral part of the holiday season.” The United States will host the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship for the seventh time in 2026. Beginning in 1982 in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, the United States, subsequent host sites included 1989 in Anchorage, 1996 in Boston, 2005 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and 2011 and 2018 in Buffalo, New York. Six of the past eight IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships have ended with medals for Team USA, marking the greatest run in the nation’s history. In 2011 and 2018, the United States brought home bronze medals from their home games. Some of the current NHL stars who were participants in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship include: Jeremy Swayman, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Jack Hughes, Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Elias Pettersson, Matthew Tkachuk, Victor Hedman, Thatcher Demko, and David Pastrnak.

U.S. clinches gold in World Junior Championship – USA Hockey World Junior Ice Hockey Champions 2024 Shirt:

Göthenburg, Sweden— In tonight’s gold-medal game of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Sweden, 6-2, behind two goals from Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis. /Michigan State University/Tampa Bay Lightning) and four other players. U.S. wins sixth gold medal in tournament history. “The guys played excellent today,” stated U.S. National Junior Team head coach David Carle (Anchorage, Alaska/University of Denver). “It delights them. They focused on getting to this game and playing well in the tournament finale, and I think they did. Being on a winning team is an honor. Team USA won its 15th event medal with a 6-1-0-0 record. Team USA took a 1-0 lead 16:56 into the first period on a delayed penalty. Will Smith (Lexington, Mass. /Boston College/San Jose Sharks) received a cross-zone pass from Rutger McGroarty (Lincoln, Neb. /University of Michigan/Winnipeg Jets) on the point and fired a rocket on net that deflected past Hugo Havelid. Highlights: Otto Stenberg of Sweden deflected Mattias Havelid’s attempt to equalize the score at 2:13 in the middle stanza. At 9:24 in the second period, Drew Fortescue (Pearl River, N. Y. /Boston College/New York Rangers) passed a stretch pass to Howard, who beat a Swedish defender on a breakaway and slid the puck past Havelid to go up 2-1. Howard scored again at 14:19 of the second period after a shot from the goal line bounced off Havelid to put Team USA up 3-1. The play was assisted by Gavin Brindley (Estero, Fla./University of Michigan/Columbus Blue Jackets). Jonathan Lekkerimaki’s power play one-timer for Sweden trimmed the U.S. advantage to 3-2 with five seconds left in the second. Zeev Buium (San Diego, Calif. /University of Denver/2024 NHL Draft Eligible) and Team USA scored 1:19 into the final period off an offensive zone face off. Perreault won the draw back to Smith, who set up Buium on the point for a one-timer that cleared Havelid’s blocker to put the U.S. up 4-2. Ryan Leonard (Amherst, Mass. /Boston College/Washington Capitals) picked the pocket of a Swedish defenseman and drove hard to the net, slipping the ball past Havelid to extend the U.S. advantage to 5-2 with under four minutes left. McGroarty scored an empty-net goal with 3:10 left to help the U.S. win the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal 6-2. Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich./Michigan State University/Detroit Red Wings) won his eighth World Juniors with 24 saves. NOTES: Isaac Howard was selected U.S. Player of the Game. Cutter Gauthier was selected Best Forward at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Cutter Gauthier and Lane Hutson made the Media All-Star Team. Team USA and Sweden each had 26 shots. The power play was 0-2 for Team USA and 1-2 for Sweden. The US earned its sixth gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship, following wins in 2021, 2017, 2013, 2010, and 2004. Gauthier had 12 points (2g-10a) while Isaac Howard had 7 goals at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. USA Hockey World Junior Ice Hockey Champions 2024 Shirt