The United States enters the 2018-19 IIHF World Junior Championship in the midst of the most successful stretch in the history of their evolving under-20 program, having medalled in three consecutive tournaments for the first time.
Team USA begins its pursuit of a fourth World Juniors medal in four years Dec. 26 on Canadian soil, one year after settling for bronze and watching their cross-border rivals capture gold in Buffalo. A medal in this year's tournament, held in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, would be a little sweeter for the Americans, especially if the U.S. and Canada can add another chapter to their head-to-head history.
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The two nations staged one of their greatest WJC moments to date in a snow-globe shootout classic in 2017, a statement victory for the U.S. on the heels of winning gold over Canada in Montreal in 2016. But the U.S. went on to lose to Sweden in the semifinals and Canada got the last laugh, defeating the Swedes to reclaim gold on American soil.
Nevertheless, the United States is now an established power on the World Juniors circuit. And the Jack Hughes-led Americans are once again medal contenders, opening the tournament behind only Canada's gold-medal odds.
Here's everything to know about the tournament, including how to watch live games online in the United States and a complete schedule with updated scores and standings.
Team USA’s schedule, results at World Juniors
Like in years past, the format for the 2018-19 World Junior Championship consists of two groups of five teams. They'll play a preliminary round robin to determine seeding, followed by a single-elimination tournament. The U.S. drew Group B, which also includes Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Sweden and Finland.
| Date | Opponent | Result | TV info |
| Dec. 26 | Slovakia | W, 2-1 | 6:30 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
| Dec. 28 | Kazakhstan | W, 8-2 | 10:30 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
| Dec. 29 | Sweden | L, 5-4 (OT) | 10:30 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
| Dec. 31 | Finland | W, 4-1 | 10:30 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
| Jan. 2 | Czech Republic | W, 3-1 | 8 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
| Jan. 4 | Russia | W, 2-1 | 8 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
| Jan. 5 | Gold-medal game (Finland) | L, 3-2 | 8 p.m. (NHLN, TSN) |
(All times Eastern)
How to watch USA games live online
In the United States, World Junior Championship games are only available on NHL Network, which has plans to televise 20 live games. American viewers can find a live stream for games online with a subscription to NHL.tv or through the NHL app.
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Team USA's 2019 World Juniors roster
The U.S. talent pool is more shallow in 2018-19 compared to recent years, but the Americans still ice a roster with seven first-round NHL draft picks, headlined by Quinn Hughes, Oliver Wahlstrom and NCAA scoring leader Evan Barratt. Otherwise, all eyes should be on Jack Hughes, the 17-year-old National Team Development Program standout widely considered a lock to become the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL Draft.
FORWARDS
| Name | 2018-19 team | NHL rights |
| Evan Barratt | Penn State (NCAA) | Blackhawks |
| Noah Cates | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) | Flyers |
| Sasha Chmelevski | Ottawa 67s (OHL) | Sharks |
| Logan Cockerill | Boston U (NCAA) | Islanders |
| Jack Drury | Harvard (NCAA) | Hurricanes |
| Joel Farabee | Boston U (NCAA) | Flyers |
| Jack Hughes | U.S. NTDP | 2019 draft |
| Tyler Madden | Northeastern (NCAA) | Canucks |
| Josh Norris | Michigan (NCAA) | Senators |
| Jay O'Brien | Providence (NCAA) | Flyers |
| Ryan Poehling | St. Cloud State (NCAA) | Canadiens |
| Jason Robertson | Niagara (OHL) | Stars |
| Oliver Wahlstrom | Boston College (NCAA) | Islanders |
DEFENSEMEN
| Name | 2018-19 team | NHL rights |
| Mikey Anderson | Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) | Kings |
| Quinn Hughes | Michigan (NCAA) | Canucks |
| Phil Kemp | Yale (NCAA) | Oilers |
| K'Andre Miller | Wisconsin (NCAA) | Rangers |
| Dylan Samberg | Minnesota (NCAA) | Jets |
| Mattias Samuelsson | Western Michigan (NCAA) | Sabres |
| Jack St. Ivan | Yale (NCAA) | Flyers |
GOALIES
| Name | 2018-19 team | NHL rights |
| Kyle Keyser | Oshawa (OHL) | Bruins |
| Spencer Knight | U.S. NTDP | 2019 draft |
| Cayden Primeau | Northeastern (NCAA) | Canadiens |
World Junior Championship standings
GROUP A
| Team | Wins | Losses | OTL | Points |
| 1. Russia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2. Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 3. Czech Republic | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 4. Switzerland | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 5. Denmark | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
GROUP B
| Team | Wins | Losses | OTL | Points |
| 1. Sweden | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 2. United States | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 3. Finland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 4. Slovakia | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 5. Kazakhstan | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Wins in regulation = 3 points
Overtime win = 2 points
Overtime loss = 1 point
Full World Junior Championship schedule
| WEDNESDAY, DEC. 26 | ||
| Czech Republic 2, Switzerland 1 (OT) | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| United States 2, Slovakia 1 | 6:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Canada 14, Denmark 0 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Finland 1, Sweden 2 | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| THURSDAY, DEC. 27 | ||
| Russia 4, Denmark 0 | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Slovakia 2, Sweden 5 | 6:30 p.m. | TSN |
| Switzerland 2, Canada 3 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Finland 5, Kazakhstan 0 | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| FRIDAY, DEC. 28 | ||
| Russia 2, Czech Republic 1 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| United States 8, Kazakhstan 2 | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| SATURDAY, DEC. 29 | ||
| Denmark 0, Switzerland 4 | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Slovakia 1, Finland 5 | 6:30 p.m. | ... |
| Canada 5, Czech Republic 1 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Sweden 5, United States 4 (OT) | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| SUNDAY, DEC. 30 | ||
| Russia 7, Switzerland 4 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Slovakia 11, Kazakhstan 2 | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| MONDAY, DEC. 31 | ||
| Czech Republic 4, Denmark 0 | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Sweden 4, Kazakhstan 1 | 6:30 p.m. | ... |
| Russia 2, Canada 1 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| United States 4, Finland 1 | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2 | ||
| Kazakhstan 4, Denmark 3 | 2 p.m. | ... |
| Switzerland 2, Sweden 0 | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Finland 2, Canada 1 (OT) | 6 p.m. | TSN |
| United States 3, Czech Republic 1 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| Russia 8, Slovakia 3 | 10:30 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| FRIDAY, JAN. 4 | ||
| Kazakhstan 4, Denmark 0 | noon | ... |
| Finland 6, Switzerland 1 | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| United States 2, Russia 1 | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| SATURDAY, JAN. 5 | ||
| Russia 5, Switzerland 2 (bronze-medal game) | 4 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
| USA 2, Finland 3 (gold-medal game) | 8 p.m. | NHLN, TSN |
(All times Eastern)