LOOKING AHEAD: TEAM USA vs. SWEDEN
Tomorrow (Dec. 28), the U.S. National Junior Team will take on Sweden for game two of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. Sweden won its tournament opener, 7-3, over Switzerland. Puck drop is set for 9 a.m. ET at Helsinki Ice Hall and can be seen live on NHL Network.

NINTH CONSECUTIVE TOURNAMENT OPENING WIN
With a 4-2 victory over Canada yesterday (Dec. 26) in front of 6,100 fans, Team USA has now won its opening game in a world junior championship for the ninth consecutive year. The matchup versus Canada was its first on Dec. 26 in 20 years. For complete game recap, click here.

KELLY MILLER JOINS TEAM USA
Kelly Miller (East Lansing, Mich.), assistant coach at Michigan State University, joined Team USA in Helsinki, Finland, today. Miller will be serving as an Advance Scout for the team throughout the tournament.

LEADERSHIP GROUP
Zach Werenski is the second youngest player ever to cap- tain a U.S. National Junior Team behind Jack Eichel, who captained the squad last year. Louie Belpedio, Auston Matthews and Colin White are the alternate captains. Werenski was an alternate captain for the 2014 U.S. National Under-17 Team that claimed the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Belpedio served as captain for the 2014 U.S. National Under-18 Team that captured the gold medal at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Lappeenranta, Finland. Additionally, Matthews and White were alternate captains for the gold medal-winning 2015 U.S. National Under-18 Team that competed in the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland. 

STARS AND STRIPES: ALL-ACCESS VIDEO SERIES
Episodes One and Two of USA Hockey's Stars and Stripes: All-Access Video Series, can be found here. The series provides fans a behind-the-scenes look into Team USA's journey throughout the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.

PRE-TOURNAMENT RECAP
The United States, which arrived in Helsinki the afternoon of Dec. 24, began its journey towards the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship with 27 players convening in Boston for a team meeting the night of Dec. 14. The U.S. had a camp at Boston University from Dec. 15-18 that culminated with a 4-0 victory over UMass in a pre-tournament game at Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Dec. 18. The U.S. then moved to Vierumaki, Finland, on Dec. 19, where it continued preparation for the tournament through Dec. 24. The time in Vierumaki included a 3-2 victory over Finland in a pre-tournament game at Isku Arena in Lahti on Dec. 22.