The NHL Network will air every game of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa. It includes comprehensive coverage of the United States National Junior Team, which will play the first of four preliminary-round games in Group A against Germany at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Thursday (2:30 p.m. ET). The United States also will play Latvia (Dec. 28), Finland (Dec. 29) and Canada (Dec. 31). The playoff round begins Jan. 2.
NHL Network's E.J. Hradek will handle play-by-play with former NHL forward Tony Granato offering color commentary. Mike Kelly and Jon Morosi also will be part of the coverage, and longtime NCAA hockey analyst Dave Starman will provide in-studio analysis and will give his three keys to victory for the United States before each of its games during the 11-day tournament.
"The U.S. schedule every year is unique ... do they start off with extended exhibition play or do they get a fellow big-five team early?" Starman said. "This year they get Finland and Canada in Games 3 and 4, respectively. Games 1 and 2 provide unique opportunities to pre-scout the big boys while also getting first-year World Junior players some live reps under game conditions and getting the vets used to bigger roles.
"Germany is a federation that has improved in its player development at the under-20 level, but if you want to bet a pizza with a friend, take the United States and give the 3 1/2 goals."
Here are Starman's 3 keys to victory for the United States against Germany:
1. No injuries
"The key to winning the seventh game of this tourney, as the 10 different head coaches I have worked with in this tourney have told me, is, 'stay healthy, have goaltending, and the power play has to be a game changer.' While the high-end teams are loaded with depth, if you lose a key guy early it makes life a little tougher. Losing Jack Hughes during the opener in Victoria, British Columbia, back in 2019 took away their top center and he wasn't the same when he got back for the medal round where Kaapo Kakko scored the gold-medal winner with just over a minute to go to give Finland the gold."
2. Goalie decision
"This a game your third goalie on the roster should win but your top goalie has to play. I remember Spencer Knight being a little average in a loss to Russia in an opener a few years ago. He shook it off as he went along but your No. 1 playing well in Game 1 matters for morale."
3. Building the 'buy-in'
"The buy-in has to start for real. Yes, some top-six forwards played bottom-six minutes in the exhibition games, and they know that's the deal now. Yes, guys who are power-play studs in college hockey won't be here. The buy-in to whatever role you were picked to play has to start now. In a game like the one on Dec. 26, minutes should be able to be spread out, but the top guys still need their minutes. I won't say which teams, out of respect to the players, but I was around two teams over 16 of these tournaments I have called where the I knew there was grumbling about roles, ice time, etc. And those teams went nowhere."
