The U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team faces Slovakia to continue Group B Preliminary play at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship here at Fjallraven Center in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden.
All-time, the U.S. is 8-0-0-2-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) against Slovakia and has outscored them 61-20. In preliminary matchups, Team USA is 6-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) against Slovakia and has outscored them 48-16. The two teams last met in 2015 for a preliminary game, where the U.S. topped the Slovaks 10-0. The last time Slovakia medaled in the IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship was in 2003, claiming a silver medal.
U.S. VS. SWEDEN RECAP
Team USA topped host country Sweden 6-1 in its first preliminary game yesterday (April 18). Cole Caufield netted a hat trick and Spencer Knight made 29 saves in the victory. John Beecher, Case McCarthy and Alex Turcotte also netted goals for Team USA.
2019 IIHF U18 MWC: ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
The 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship is being held in Ornskoldsvik (A3 Arena) and Umea (Fjallraven Center), Sweden. This will mark the second time Sweden has hosted the tournament, with the previous location being Angelholm/Halmstad (2006) where the U.S. took home gold, defeating Finland 3-1. Unlike this year, the 2006 event saw the U.S. enter the tournament as the defending gold medalist. In the end, Team USA won consecutive gold medals for the first time with Patrick Kane leading the tournament in scoring with 12 points.
NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING
Nineteen players currently on the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team roster were named to the National Hockey League Central Scouting Bureau's Final Rankings for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Players listed include forwards Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) at No. 1, Alex Turcotte (Island Lake, Ill.) at No. 4, Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) at No. 6, Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) at No. 8, Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) at No. 9, John Beecher (Elmira, N.Y.) at No. 49, Judd Caulfield (Grand Forks, N.D.) at No. 67, Patrick Moynihan (Millis, Mass.) at No. 73, Owen Lindmark (Naperville, Ill.) at No. 93 and Michael Gildon (Plano, Texas) No. 110.
Defenseman include Cam York (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) at No. 12, Alex Vlasic (Wilmette, Ill.) at No. 38, Henry Thrun (Southborough, Mass.) at No. 39, Drew Helleson (Farmington, Minn.) at No. 46, Marshall Warren (Laurel Hollow, N.Y.) at No. 61, and Domenick Fensore (Thornwood, N.Y.) at No. 68, Case McCarthy (Clarence Center, N.Y.) at No. 77.
In addition, goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) is rated as the top-ranked North American prospect among eligible goaltenders, and Cameron Rowe (Wilmette, Ill.) is rated at No. 4.
All games at Fjallraven Center
DATE | OPPONENT/ROUND | LOCATION | TIME (LOCAL/ET)/RESULT | TELEVISION | U.S. Player of the Game |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fri., April 12 | Finland Exhibition |
Heinola, Finland | L, 0-1 | None | Cam York |
Sat., April 13 | Switzerland Exhibition |
Heinola, Finland | W, 8-0 | None | Jack Hughes |
Thu., April 18 | Sweden Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 6-1 | NHL Network | Cole Caufield |
Fri., April 19 | Slovakia Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 12-5 | NHL Network | Jack Hughes |
Sun., April 21 | Russia Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 6-3 | NHL Network | Alex Turcotte |
Tue., April 23 | Latvia Preliminary |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 7-1 | NHL Network | John Beecher |
Thu., April 25 | Finland Quarterfinals |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W, 6-0 | NHL Network | Jack Hughes |
Sat., April 27 | Russia Semifinals |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
L, 2-3 (SO) | NHL Network | Cole Caufield |
Sun., April 28 | Canada Bronze-Medal Game |
Fjallraven Center Ornskoldsvik, Sweden |
W 5-2 | NHL Network | Cam York |