OTTAWA, Ontario – Six National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) players, along with four coaches and staff in the NCHC, are returning to their collegiate teams with hardware in hand after helping the U.S. National Junior Team win a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. The U.S. won its second straight World Junior Championship for the first time ever after downing Finland, 4-3, in overtime Sunday night in the championship game at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
 
Denver sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium, who served as an assistant captain on Team USA in 2025, lifted the trophy in back-to-back years after also winning gold at 2024 World Juniors in Sweden. Five NCHC freshmen captured their first World Junior Championship gold medal on Sunday night: St. Cloud State forward Austin Burnevik, Minnesota Duluth defenseman Adam Kleber, UMD forward Max Plante, SCSU defenseman Colin Ralph and Western Michigan goaltender Hampton Slukynsky.
 
In addition to the players, the U.S. National Junior Team was once again led by Denver head coach David Carle, who claimed his second straight World Juniors title as Team USA head coach. St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team for the second consecutive year. Denver director of hockey operations Travis Culhane, who was Team USA's video coach, and DU equipment manager Nick Meldrum also won back-to-back gold medals after serving on the U.S. staff the last two World Junior Championships.
 
Buium (San Diego, Calif.) played a key role in the U.S. repeating as World Juniors champions. Along with donning an ‘A’ all tournament and providing experience, the Minnesota Wild draft pick chipped in six points on two goals and four assists in seven games. His final two assists came in the gold-medal game Sunday, as Buium first helped set up the tying goal, then fired a long outlet pass in overtime for the primary assist on the golden game-winner. Buium finished second on the team with a +10 plus/minus, while leading all U.S. players averaging 25:13 time on ice per game.
 
Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) also handed out a helper in the gold-medal game Sunday, recording the primary assist on Team USA’s second goal after trailing 3-1. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick finished with a goal and two assists in six games at the 2025 World Junior Championship, with his goal coming on Dec. 28 in a win over Latvia. Plante’s teammate at UMD, Kleber (Chaska, Minn.) dished out one assist in six games at World Juniors with a +5 plus/minus.
 
Ralph (Maple Grove, Minn.) also had one helper on the blue line for Team USA while appearing in all seven World Juniors games. Ralph’s teammate at SCSU, Burnevik (Ham Lake, Minn.) also suited up in all seven games and fired seven shots on goal, but did not record a point.
 
The Broncos' Slukynsky (Warroad, Minn.) went 2-0-0 in his two starts in net for Team USA, picking up wins over Latvia on Dec. 28 and Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Jan. 2. The L.A. Kings draft pick compiled a .933 save percentage and 1.50 GAA in his two appearances, totaling 42 saves on 45 shots faced.
 
“I couldn’t be more proud of our group,” Carle said. “They grew as a team, played for each other and ultimately accomplished something that has never been done by helping our nation win back-to-back gold medals in the World Juniors.”
 
The U.S. National Junior Team finished 3-0-1-0 in preliminary round play to win Group A, before knocking off Switzerland, Czechia and Finland to capture its second straight gold medal. It is the 16th medal for the U.S. National Junior Team all-time and seventh gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
 
Along with Carle, former St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko (in 2017) and former North Dakota and Omaha head coach Dean Blais (in 2010, while at Omaha) are the only other NCHC head coaches to win a gold medal with the U.S. at the World Junior Championship. Current Colorado College head coach Kris Mayotte won golds as an assistant coach for Team USA in 2017 and 2021, prior to taking over at CC.
 
The NCHC is now home to 14 players who have won a World Junior Championship gold medal, including 13 with Team USA:

• 2025 (USA) – Zeev Buium, D, Denver; Austin Burnevik, F, St. Cloud State; Adam Kleber, D, Minnesota Duluth; Max Plante, F, Minnesota Duluth; Colin Ralph, D, St. Cloud State; Hampton Slukynsky, G, Western Michigan
• 2024 (USA) – Zeev Buium, D, Denver
• 2021 (USA) – Bobby Brink, F, Denver; Tyler Kleven, D, North Dakota; Jake Sanderson, D, North Dakota
• 2020 (Canada) – Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, North Dakota
• 2017 (USA) – Jack Ahcan, D, St. Cloud State; Joey Anderson, F, Minnesota Duluth; Jack Roslovic, F, Miami; Troy Terry, F, Denver