Team USA has the youngest roster skating in the IIHF World Championships this year, and now the team is preparing to compete for its first gold medal since 1933.
Team Canada was headlined by the likes of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, and Sweden had established NHLers like Elias Lindholm and Lucas Raymond leading the way. USA has seven skaters that are 21 or younger, playing without some of its most notable names like the Hughes brothers and Tkachuk brothers.
The American squad has been led by its young core, and some unlikely skaters have stepped up to elevate the team for a shot at its first tournament championship in more than 90 years.
Young guns paving the path towards success
Team USA's two best players have just three NHL seasons between them, but that hasn't held them back from making big contributions. Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar and Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley were named USA's best players through the tournament, alongside Vancouver's Conor Garland.
The first two have made the biggest splash among American skaters during the tournament. Nazar is coming off of an overall promising rookie season in Chicago. The 21-year-old recorded 24 points in 21 games with the AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs before cracking the Blackhawks roster, totalling 26 points in 53 games with the big club.
Now, Nazar leads USA with six goals and six helpers through nine games played. Only four players in the entire tournament have scored more goals. Nazar is not even playing first-line minutes, making his scoring pace even more impressive.
He's showing some real potential to be a difference-maker on a Blackhawks team that is searching to solidify its top six. After performing so well in this tournament, the gold medal win would be in big part thanks to Nazar's efforts, and it's something to be excited about for Chicago fans.
Cooley is in a similar position, coming off of an excellent sophomore season with Utah. He's established himself as a first liner for the Mammoth and his current performance is making him a serious contender for the 2026 Winter Olympics roster in Milan, Italy.
Cooley has put up four multi-point efforts in nine games, carving out a role on the first line as well as the top power play unit. He's a big reason why USA's man advantage has produced the second-most goals in the tournament (9), behind only Switzerland (11) who have had four more opportunities.
Skating alongside Mammoth teammate Clayton Keller, Cooley has been a standout for Team USA. He knows how to find the right place at the right time, and regularly creates odd-man rushes with his quick feet and vision on the ice.
The two youngsters are fueling an American team that faced some doubts from the hockey world headed into the elimination round, and will give Team USA a real chance at beating Switzerland on Sunday.
Swayman's bounceback from disappointing NHL season
Jeremy Swayman had an uncharacteristically lackluster season this past year, with his save percentage falling below .900% and his goals against averaging above 3.00 for the first time in his career.
We're getting glimpses of Swayman's potential once again during this tournament. He has a 1.98 GAA, good for fifth-best among all goalies, plus a .905 SV%. Add one shutout to the mix, and you have a winning recipe -- literally. Swayman is undefeated in six games so far.
His talent was on full display in USA's dominating 6-2 defeat of Sweden on Saturday. Swayman faced a low shot volume early on, but the Swedes ramped it up after going down 2-0 in the first period. He finished the match with 27 saves, including huge stops on the likes of William Nylander and Elias Lindholm.
It's a refreshing change of pace to see Swayman getting back to the level of play that earned him an eight-year, $66 million contract with the Bruins last year.
With Swayman backstopping the team, plus Nazar and Cooley leading the charge offensively, Team USA has a good chance to come out on top in the battle of the goaltenders against Switzerland's phenom Leonardo Genoni. The game will air at 2:30 EST on NHL Network Sunday afternoon.