Projecting USA’s 2024 World Junior Championship roster

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
Projecting USA’s 2024 World Junior Championship roster
Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

Here you go, folks. The favorite to win gold.

No matter the lineup, the United States are always a major threat to win it all. Usually featuring a core of former USA Hockey National Team Development Program and current college players, USA’s team always seems to have solid depth and chemistry very few teams can match. But Canada has had the better of them the past two years, with the Americans hoping to improve on its bronze in 2023 and return to the top step of the podium for the first time since 2021.

USA Hockey hosted its annual World Junior Summer Showcase over the summer, utilizing two different teams to evaluate 44 players over a week of action in Plymouth, Michigan. And if we learned anything, it’s that they’re the real deal.

We’re just under two months away until USA kicks off the 2024 World Junior Championship in Sweden against Norway. They’ll have a relatively favorable schedule with meetings against Switzerland, Czechia and Slovakia, but there’s no such thing as an easy matchup when the world’s top prospects meet for the first time.

Just like with Canada’s roster projection earlier this week, Daily Faceoff’s Colton Davies tagged along to predict what USA’s roster could look like come Dec. 26:

STEVEN ELLIS’ TEAM

Forwards

Cutter Gauthier (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Gabe Perreault (NYR) – Will Smith (SJS) – Ryan Leonard (WSH)
Cutter Gauthier (PHI) – Frank Nazar (CHI) – Jimmy Snuggerud (STL)
Rutger McGroarty (WPG) – Oliver Moore (CHI) – Gavin Brindley (CBJ)
Danny Nelson (NYI) – Charlie Stramel (MIN) – Gavin Hayes (CHI)
James Hagens (2025)

If you’re an opposing goaltender at this tournament, good luck.

USA has perhaps the deepest scoring group available of any team, so much so that I expect top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Cole Eiserman to be left off. On a sentimental level, I hope coach David Carle keeps the big Boston College trio of Smith, Perreault and Leonard together. They were unstoppable with the USNTDP and are working well together again with the Eagles, so why split it up? Even if there’s the potential for a more dangerous line combo, you might as well keep what’s working alive.

Gauthier has a realistic chance at winning the tournament’s MVP title. The offensive dynamo was electric during the summer and is off to a hot start as a sophomore at BC. Every time he suits up for the United States, he shines. I like the idea of having him with Nazar and Snuggerud as a second line, a group with experience and high hockey IQ. That would push the NCAA’s top scorer in McGroarty to the third line, which, come on, wouldn’t even be fair. Mix in the human Formula 1 car in Oliver Moore and the tenacious, energized Brindley and I think that line would have no issue forcing the issue and putting points on the board.

The fourth line is fun, too. Stramel had an excellent summer showing and knows how to use his 6-foot-3, 223-pound frame to his advantage. I thought Hayes was one of USA’s better all-around players in the summer and fits the mold of a fourth-line energy guy well. Nelson is one of the best defensive forwards available to USA, and while they could always throw in another high-scoring option like Eiserman there, Nelson brings the shutdown game that’s suited for the fourth line.

And then there’s Hagens. The 2025 NHL Draft prospect had an outstanding showing at the showcase in Michigan this summer, showing his mix of speed and hockey IQ. There isn’t a line I don’t think he’d thrive on, given the way he creates his own opportunities, but I like him as a versatile 13th forward who can play anywhere. He’d be the youngest player on the team, but he’s got pro-caliber qualities that make him so dangerous.

Defensemen

Seamus Casey (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Lane Hutson (MTL) – Ryan Chesley (WSH)
Drew Fortescue (NYR) – Seamus Casey (NJD)
Eric Pohlkamp (SJS) – Hunter Brzustewicz (VAN)
Sam Rinzel (CHI)

If there’s one thing this team has, it’s puck-moving options. Hutson is the obvious No. 1, with the Montreal Canadiens prospect dazzling big time over the past year. With Luke Hughes gone, look for Hutson to play heavy minutes while being the power-play quarterback. We know what he can do when he’s on the top of his game, and as a 19-year-old in his second college season – and with a World Championship appearance under his belt – he’ll be in a good spot to thrive. Pairing him with a defensive standout like Chesley will give the first pair some nice balance.

I was hoping Casey would make the team a year ago, but there’s no way he’s staying off this time around. He looked great in the summer and has already taken a leading role with the University of Michigan this year. Fortescue will get his first crack at the WJC after being a stable presence on the USNTDP’s back end last year.

Perhaps the most intriguing name is Brzustewicz, who has been lights out with nearly a two-point-per-game average with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. But some wonder if politics will come into play here. Originally part of the USNTDP, Brzustewicz decommitted from the University of Michigan to instead join the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. He’s looking like his old, dominant self that made him an absolute force at the U-16 level, but would USA look to bring a college defender like Zeev Buium or Paul Fischer instead?

Either way, it’s hard to go wrong with USA’s blueline crop, which might be the team’s weak point. And by weak point, I mean still better than almost every other team in the tournament.

Goaltenders

Trey Augustine (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Trey Augustine (DET)
Jacob Fowler (MTL)
Tyler Muszelik (FLA)

If you asked me to pick USA’s roster in August, no question I’d have Trey Augustine as the undisputed No. 1. And he still deserves the best chance, especially after holding the starter’s gig last year, too. But Jacob Fowler would be the No. 1 on so many other teams, and his tremendous play at the World Junior A Challenge, USHL and now the NCAA has got to excite the American coaching brass.

But it’s still Augustine’s net to lose. He was great as a 17-year-old starter last year and nearly won every single start he made all year long. That hasn’t changed at Michigan State University, where he boasts a 4-0 record throughout the first month of the season. The Detroit Red Wings prospect deserves the praise he gets – he’s competitive, athletic and positionally sound.

Fowler, meanwhile, is already one of the top college goalies in the game right now, putting up excellent numbers at Boston College. His performance at the 2022 WJAC turned heads, and he was great again during the summer showcase. He deserves at least a couple of starts this year.

The third goalie is a toss-up, but I’m going to guess they’ll go with Tyler Muszelik, who was cut from the team a year ago. I get Andrew Oke was there the past two years, but struggled mightily during the showcase tournament and his overall stats in three OHL seasons are ugly. Muszelik, a Florida Panthers pick, wasn’t much better in the summer, but my guess is they’ll give him a chance as a 19-year-old with one last crack at it. Truthfully, it doesn’t matter who gets picked because, barring some catastrophic injuries, the third option will only hit the ice for warmups every few games.

COLTON DAVIES’ TEAM

Forwards

Will Smith (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Gabe Perreault (NYR) – Will Smith (SJS) – Ryan Leonard (WSH)
Cutter Gauthier (PHI) – Frank Nazar (CHI) – Jimmy Snuggerud (STL)
Rutger McGroarty (WPG) – Oliver Moore (CHI) – Gavin Brindley (CBJ)
Quentin Musty (SJ) – Charlie Stramel (MIN) – Cole Eiserman (2024)
James Hagens (2025)

My top six remain identical to Steven’s. It’s hard to break up the trio of Perreault, Smith and Leonard, who have dominated at every level together. Then you slot in the electric Gauthier alongside Nazar and Snuggerud, giving you a mix of net-front presence and close-quarters skill.

McGroarty would be a huge addition to the third line with the speedy Moore and Brindley. For the fourth line, I went with a little mix of everything. You have Sudbury Quentin Musty, who has seven points in five games with the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL. You pair him up with the Stramel and top 2024 top prospect Cole Eiserman and you’ve got a dynamic line that can do a bit of everything.

And like Steven, Hagens, as the 13th forward, gives them some solid flexibility. He can play anywhere, which helps.

Defensemen

Eric Pohlkamp (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Lane Hutson (MTL) – Ryan Chesley (WSH)
Drew Fortescue (NYR) – Seamus Casey (NJD)
Eric Pohlkamp (SJS) – Sam Rinzel (CHI)
Hunter Brzustewicz (VAN)

The defense corp is status quo for the most part, too. It starts with the dynamic and electric Hutson, who looked good at the World Championship. With Hutson being paired with Chesley, it gives the Americans a mix of offensive and defensive capabilities on their top unit.

After being left off last year’s squad, Casey is more than ready to make his WJC debut and take the tournament by storm. He was excellent during the summer showcase and has been a top defenseman at the University of Michigan this season. Fortescue, meanwhile, makes life difficult for opponents, and he’s ready for the challenge.

The final pairing is Pohlkamp and the large Sam Rinzel. Steady, solid, and smart. And then there’s Brzustewicz, who could slot in just about anywhere. But, as Steven pointed out, politics could play a role, so we’ll see what happens.

Goaltenders

Jacob Fowler (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Trey Augustine (DET)
Jacob Fowler (MTL)
Tyler Muszelik (FLA)

Augustine is, without a doubt, the bonafide No. 1 starter as of right now. But Fowler could give Augustine a run for his money. Augustine might be the favorite, but Fowler has been the more impressive goalie right now, and he was a standout in the summer.

I also tossed up the idea of having Saginaw’s Andrew Oke as the third-string goaltender. But with his sluggish start to the OHL season, looking at Muszelik seemed more realistic. While Muszelik also struggled during the summer showcase, giving the 19-year-old a shot could go a long way. It’s not like the USA has to rely much on their third goalie unless something catastrophic happens to Augustine or Folwer, which is possible. However, I think the safe bet is Muszelik making the roster.

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