BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team is scheduled to compete against Czechia today (April 22) to commence preliminary round action of the 2026 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship. The puck is expected to drop at 4:00 p.m. local time (10:00 a.m. ET) at Vladimir Dzurilla Ice Arena.
Today’s match, along with all Team USA games during the U18 Men’s World Championship, will be streamed live on NHL Network.
GAME STATS
Games Notes
LINES – Coming Soon
The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team concluded pre-tournament play with two victories, outscoring their opponents 17-3, having defeated Norway 10-0 and Finland 7-3.
Logan Stuart (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) recorded two goals and two assists, while Jamie Glance (Stratham, N.H.) contributed four assists, and all three goalies combined for a 17-save shutout in the U.S. victory over Norway.
Sammy Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) achieved a hat trick, and Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) added two goals and an assist as the U.S. scored four consecutive goals to secure a 7-3 win against Finland in their final pre-tournament match. Brady Knowling(Chicago, Ill.) earned the win, stopping 14 shots, while Luke Carrithers (Maple Grove, Minn.) saved all eight shots in the final period.
Nearly all players recorded at least one point, with 13 players achieving multiple points across the two games. Glance and Nelson led the scoring with five points each, while Knowling secured both pre-tournament victories.
Mikey Berchild (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) are the two returning players from last year’s squad. Berchild participated in seven games, accumulating four goals and four assists, which tied for third-most points on the team. Mutryn returns after playing five games and recording one assist. Berchild provided the primary assist on the overtime game-winning goal that helped Team USA achieve a bronze-medal finish.
Team USA is making its third return to Slovakia for the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, having won its first-ever gold medal in 2002 in Piestany and Trnava, followed by another gold in 2017 at Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves.
ALL-TIME AGAINST CZECHIA
The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team boasts an all-time record of 17-2-1-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) against Czechia in this tournament. Its 19 victories are the highest total against any nation in the tournament’s history. The U.S. remains undefeated in nine preliminary round encounters, holding an 8-1-0-0 record, with their most recent matchup resulting in a 4-2 victory on April 23, 2025. The historical results in the preliminaries between the two nations are as follows:
April 19, 2005 – USA 4, Czechia 3
April 15, 2006 – USA 5, Czechia 0
April 14, 2012 – USA 5, Czechia 0
April 20, 2013 – USA 4, Czechia 3
April 19, 2014 – USA 3, Czechia 0
April 17, 2017 – USA 5, Czechia 2
April 29, 2021 – USA 2, Czechia 1 (SOW)
April 24, 2022 – USA 6, Czechia 2
April 23, 2025 – USA 4, Czechia 2
U.S. Under-18 Men's World History 
U18 Men's Worlds Insider 
2026 U18 Men's Worlds
