THE SERIES VS. CANADA
The United States and Canada are meeting for the 44th time in IIHF World Junior Championship play. All-time, the U.S. is 7-1-3-29-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) against Canada.
    A year ago, the United States topped Canada, 4-2, to open the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland. Colin White, Zach Werenski, Louie Belpedio and Auston Matthews all scored in the win while Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves. White was named the U.S. Player of the Game. For the all-time U.S. series vs. Canada, click here.

CLAIMING THE GROUP
Team USA has a chance to win its Group for the first time since 2011 and third time in the last 10 IIHF World Junior Championship. Its other group win in the last 10 years took place in 2008.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TEAM USA
Clayton Keller (3-2--5), Colin White (3-1--4), Troy Terry (2-2--4) and Casey Fitzgerald (0-3--3) have a point in every U.S. game ... Last night, Auston Matthews, alternate captain of last year’s bronze medal-winning U.S. team, visited the team to wish them good luck. Aside from Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs have five other Americans on their roster who have all represented Team USA, including four U.S. National Junior Team alumni in Connor Carrick (2014), Jake Gardiner  (2010 - gold), Matt Hunwick  (2004 - gold, 2005) and James van Riemsdyk  (2007-bronze medal, 2008, 2009). At the 2008 WJC, Van Riemsdyk led the tournament with 11 points (5-6) and was named to the All-Star Team. In addition, Ben Smith won a bronze medal with the 2015 U.S. Men’s National Team. The Leafs take on the Detroit Red Wings in tomorrow’s NHL Centennial Classic here in Toronto ... Yesterday, high performance coach and retired U.S. Marine Lt. Col., Sean Braziel (Burke, Va.) joined Team USA in Toronto and will remain with Team USA for the rest of the tournament ... The Hockey Hall of Fame here in Toronto features two direct ties to the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team: the catching glove Tyler Parsons (Chesterfield, Mich./London Knights) used in his Memorial Cup-winning season last year with the London Knights, as well as the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society induction plaque of Team USA’s athletic trainer, Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla./USA Hockey), who was inducted last year.