U.S. Takes On Finland In World Juniors Semifinal Today The U.S. has advanced to the semifinals of the World Juniors in seven of the last nine years and looks to return to the gold-medal game for the first time since 2021 when it captured the top prize in the tournament in Edmonton, Alberta.
Watch United States vs Finland hockey semifinals: IIHF World Juniors without cable and fubotv subscription
Team USA is the only squad to win all five games in the tournament and is coming off a 7-2 victory over Latvia in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (Jan. 2). Finland started with losses in its first two games, but has won its last three, including a 4-3 triumph in overtime over Slovakia in the quarterfinals.
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Watch United States vs Finland hockey semifinals: IIHF World Juniors without cable
The 2024 World Juniors conclude tomorrow with the bronze-medal game at 3 p.m. local/9 a.m. ET and gold-medal contest at 7:30 p.m. local1:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be carried live by NHL Network.
Watch United States vs Finland hockey semifinals: IIHF World Juniors without cable and fubotv subscription
WHAT TO KNOW
- The U.S. and Finland have met 37 previous times in the World Juniors. Each team has won 18 times with one tie. The U.S. has faced Finland twice in the semifinals of the tournament, winning both times by a goal (and going on to win gold both those years).
- Team USA is the top offensive team in the tournament, averaging 7.20 goals and 40.60 shots on goal per game.
- Cutter Gauthier is the leading point-getter in the World Juniors with 1-10—11, while Gavin Brindley leads the tournament in goals with six. Gauthier is tops in assists with 10, while Will Smith leads the event in faceoff percentage at .672 (41-61) and Zeev Buium is number one in plus/minus rating at +10.
- The U.S. won its first gold medal in the World Juniors 20 years ago in 2004. Matt Carle, the brother of U.S. head coach David Carle, was part of that team.
- USA Hockey is hosting the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship and in cooperation with the IIHF, will announce the location of the event tomorrow at a press conference in Gothenburg prior to the bronze-medal game.
World Juniors Semifinals
After playing its four preliminary round games and quarterfinal contest at Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, the U.S. had to make the shift approximately three miles across town to Scandinavium, where the semifinals and bronze and gold-medal games will take place. The day for the U.S. training staff – including equipment managers Scott Aldrich and Nick Meldrum and athletic trainers Stan Wong and Dennis MacDonald – started at 7:30 a.m. with a trip to Frolundaborg to put the finishing touches on packing up the U.S. operation after completing a good deal of that work last night after Team USA’s 7-2 win over Latvia in its quarterfinal game.
With help from local volunteers, an 20-foot truck was packed up with player equipment bags, stick bags, trunks, medical equipment, signage, skate sharpeners and other assorted performance items that are part of the operation. After arriving at Scandinavium at 9:30 a.m., the training staff had just a few hours to try and get things in place for the arrival of players at 1 p.m. in advance of Team USA’s 2:30 p.m. practice. The U.S. training staff got an appreciated hand from Taylor Swierc, who is on site handling digital content for USA Hockey’s channels covering the World Juniors.
