Plymouth, Michigan – The Pioneers will once again be represented at the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase this week as the United States begins the defense of its IIHF World Junior Championship and seeks to become the first team in history to win back-to-back championships.
Led by Denver Richard and Kitzia Goodman, head hockey coaches David CarlThe U.S. team won its sixth gold medal at the World Junior Championships in January, defeating host nation Sweden in the final.
Karl will return as USA bench boss for the 2025 U-20 tournament and will be joined by the same coaching staff as last time out, former DU assistants Steve Miller (University of Minnesota) and David Lassonde (USA Hockey) and St. Cloud State University head coach Brett Larson. Denver Hockey Director of Operations Travis Culhane He returned to Carl's staff as a video coach and equipment manager. Nick Meldrum He will also be returning to compete in his third World Junior Championships.
The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa, Ontario from Dec. 26, 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025, with the United States in Group A along with host Canada, Finland, Latvia and Germany. The U.S. will play its preliminary round games at the Canadian Tire Centre, while Group B teams Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland and Kazakhstan will play pool matches at TD Place Arena.
USA Hockey invited 46 players, including four Pioneer sophomore defensemen, to take part in the World Junior Summer Showcase, a week-long evaluation camp at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth in preparation for this winter's World Junior Tournament. Zeev Buium Freshman Jake Fisher, Tori Pitner and James Reeder.
Buieum was a member of last year's World Junior Team and recorded five points (three goals/two assists) in seven games, including an additional point in the gold medal game.
U.S. under-20 players attending summer camp will be split into two teams — USA Blue and USA White — and will take part in practices and exhibition games at the U.S. National Team Development Program's home base from July 26-Aug. 3. Canada, Finland and Sweden are also sending teams to Michigan this week, with exhibition games scheduled for July 28-29, July 31, Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.
Buium (San Diego, Calif.) and Pitner (El Cerrito, Calif.) will start the week on Team Blue, while Fisher (Woodbury, Minn.) and Rieder (Glenview, Ill.) will start on Team White.
All American players who compete in the Summer Showcase are candidates for a spot on the USA Hockey team, but not all players are invited back to training camp in December before the final team is announced. It also doesn't mean that players under the age of 20 who aren't invited to the Summer Showcase won't be invited back to training camp five months later and be on the USA Hockey World Junior Championship roster.
The United States has won a medal in seven of the past nine IIHF World Junior Championships, the most medals ever won by a U.S. team. The seven medals include three gold medals (2024, 2021, 2017), one silver medal (2019) and three bronze medals (2023, 2018, 2016). The United States has won 22 of its last 26 games over the past four World Junior Championships, winning two gold medals (2024, 2021) and one bronze medal (2023) during that time.
