MONCTON, New Brunswick – The U.S. National Junior Team will face Germany today in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. Opening faceoff is set for 5 p.m. local/4 p.m. ET at the Avenir Centre, and the game will be broadcast live by NHL Network.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

The IIHF World Junior Championship includes 10 teams, with two five-team pools for preliminary round play. The top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, with the bottom team in each pool facing off in a best-of-three relegation series.

The U.S. won Group B on the strength of victories over Latvia (5-2), Switzerland (5-1) and Finland (6-2). The only blemish on the U.S. record came in a 6-3 loss to Slovakia.

Germany played its preliminary round games in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and finished fourth in Group A. The Germans' lone win came against Austria by a 4-2 count, with losses to Sweden (1-0), Canada (11-2) and Czechia (8-1).

WHAT’S AT STAKE

The winner of today’s game will advance to the tournament semifinals in Halifax on Jan. 4 and ensure itself a chance to play for either a bronze or gold medal on the final day of the championship there on Jan. 5.

QUARTERFINAL HISTORY

Team USA has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Juniors for the 22nd time and 11th straight year. The U.S. is 12-9 in its 20 previous quarterfinal appearances and will look to rebound from its exit in the 2022 World Juniors quarterfinals in August. Each of the last eight times the U.S. has won its quarterfinal game, it has earned a medal in the tournament.

SERIES HISTORY

The U.S. and Germany have played 13 previous times in the World Juniors with Team USA having won 12 of the meetings. The teams have never met in the quarterfinals. The U.S. has averaged 5.85 goals per game in the series, while holding Germany to 1.39 an outing.

A FEW LAST BITS

Germany made the 2.5-hour trek from Halifax to Moncton yesterday morning … The U.S. had a short 30-minute skate yesterday at 12 noon in preparation for today’s game … Jimmy Snuggerud (4-3—7) and Logan Cooley (2-5—7) lead Team USA in points heading into quarterfinal play. The two are tied with the third most points in the tournament. Snuggerud’s four goals are tied for second in the World Juniors, while Cooley’s five assists are tied for third in the tournament with four other players, including teammate Cutter Gauthier.