The U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team faces Latvia in its final Group B Preliminary play at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship here at Fjallraven Center (Ornskoldsvik), Sweden. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. local/9:30 a.m. ET and will be televised in the U.S. live on NHL Network.
NOTES VS. LATVIA
All-time, the U.S. is 3-0-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) against Latvia and has outscored them 27-2. The two teams last met in 2016 for a preliminary matchup, where the U.S. topped the Latvians 12-1. Newly promoted Latvia has never placed better than ninth (2010, 2012, 2015, 2016) before.
DEFEATING RUSSIA
Team USA rallied from a 2-0 deficit on the way to a 6-3 victory over Russia in its third preliminary round game on Sunday (April 21.) Jack Hughes, Alex Turcotte, Matthew Boldy, Cole Caufield and Matthew Beniers scored for Team USA, and Spencer Knight made 20 saves in net.
TOPPING SLOVAKIA
Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) and Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) each scored four goals in the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team’s 12-5 victory over Slovakia in its second preliminary round game at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship Sunday (April 21) at 9:30 a.m. ET against Russia at Fjallraven Center.
STRONG VS. SWEDEN
Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) recorded a hat trick and Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) made 29 saves in the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team’s 6-1 victory over Sweden in its first preliminary game at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship Thursday (April 18) at the Fjallraven Center.
BRINK ADDED
Forward Bobby Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.) has been added to the roster of the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team it was announced today (April 21) by USA Hockey. The University of Denver commit spent 2018-19 with the United States Hockey League’s Sioux City Musketeers and recorded 70 points (35G, 35A) in 45 games. Brink represented Team USA at the 2018 World Junior A Challenge, where he recorded eight points in six games to help the U.S. claim first place. Landon Slaggert, who was initally named to the roster and played in two exhibition games, has been released from the roster. The U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team now includes 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
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.
2019 U.S. Tournament Schedule
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 |
2019 U.S. U18 World Championship News
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2024 U18 Men's Worlds Insider | Team USA Claims Silver
- By USA Hockey 05/05/2024, 4:00pm EDT