2025 World Juniors: Standouts from USA vs. Germany

OTTAWA – The United States managed to snag the first major blowout of the World Junior Championship, beating Germany 10-4 to open up Group A play at the Canadian Tire Centre.

It was close in the first half, with Germany making it 3-2 at one point. James Hagens and Gabe Perreault each scored in the first before Trevor Connelly made it a 3-0 game early in the second. But goals from Julius Sumpf and David Lewandowski made it a one-goal game at the halfway point, adding some intrigue to a game that saw the Americans control the puck.

Everything fell apart for the Germans from there, though. Hagens, Brandon Svoboda, and Perreault would score over a five-minute interval to close out the period, making it 6-2. Lenny Boos and Timo Ruckdaschel each scored for the Germans in the third, but two goals from Brodie Ziemer and one each from Cole Eiserman and Carey Terrance made it a 10-4 final score.

The United States will get Friday off before challenging Latvia on Saturday. Germany, meanwhile, will face off against Finland at 3:30 PM ET on Friday.

Here’s a look at the top performers from Thursday’s early game at the Canadian Tire Centre:

USA

#12 James Hagens, C (2025 NHL Draft): There’s been plenty of hype surrounding other top prospects to the point where it almost feels like long-time projected No. 1 James Hagens was becoming underrated. But with two goals and four points, Hagens was USA’s most productive forward, just like many people expected. He might be the youngest forward on the team, but he owns the scoring record at both the U-17 World Challenge and the U-18 World Championship. Is this the next one on his list?

#34 Gabe Perreault, LW (New York Rangers): Perreault is a serious MVP contender, and he started things off by scoring two goals and an assist tonight. He had the 2-0 goal and then made it 6-2 to further rub salt in the wound. But Perreault was great in all situations and was especially open in dangerous ice.

#24 Cole Hutson, D (Washington Capitals): Hutson had five assists, making as good of a first impression as you could ask for. His head fakes were in prime form – just like his brother. Germany had a hard time defending against him, and it allowed Hutson to be a truly dominant puck distributor. Look for him to put himself in the running for top defenseman this year.

#74 Brodie Ziemer, RW (Buffalo Sabres): It’s been an excellent year for Ziemer, who had two goals on five shots in the third period. He’s a buzzsaw who can do so much with and without the puck and he brings as much energy as you’ll find on a team like this. Ziemer will never be in the spotlight, but he does so much without the puck to be lethal.

#28 Brandon Svoboda, C (San Jose Sharks): Svoboda had a goal and an assist in a fourth-line role for USA. He also had a few blocks and got his stick into passing lines quite often to help end plays by the Germans. Like Ziemer, he isn’t flashy, but he plays a role and does it well.

Germany

#11 David Lewandowski, LW (2025 NHL Draft): Lewandowski was everywhere today. From some good defensive play, to taking a penalty and ultimately scoring a goal, Lewandowski was Germany’s best player today. And that tracks back to the pre-tournament drubbing from Sweden on Monday, too – even when the score was extremely lopsided, Lewandowski was tremendous. NHL scouts are noticing.