USA Blue Triumphs Over Sweden, USA White Loses to Finland in Opening Matches of World Junior Summer Showcase

WINDSOR, Ont. – The first two matches of the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase took place today at WFCU Centre, where USA White lost to Finland, 4-1, and USA Blue triumphed over Sweden, 6-1.

This event acts as an assessment for players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden who are aiming to secure spots on their national teams for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, scheduled from Dec. 26, 2026, to Jan. 5, 2027, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

Competition in the World Junior Summer Showcase continues tomorrow (July 27) with USA Blue facing Sweden at 3 p.m. ET and USA White going up against Finland at 7 p.m. ET. All matches from the WJSS are available for live streaming and on-demand viewing on HNLive.ca.

Finland 4, USA White 1

Jeremi Virtanen initiated the scoring for Finland just 22 seconds into the game, sending a shot from the left circle past the glove of U.S. goaltender Xavier Wendt (Plymouth, Minn.). Aapo Vanninen doubled Finland’s lead at 4:07, redirecting a shot from Jesper Kotajarvi past Wendt.

Finland increased its lead to 3-0 at 11:40 of the first period with a goal from Aapo Katavisto. Jack Murtagh (East Greenbush, N.Y.) nearly reduced the U.S. deficit to two with 3:20 remaining, but his attempt was stopped by Finnish goalie Jester Rossi.

Jere Somervuori scored with 2:00 left in the period, knocking a bouncing puck into the net near the U.S. crease to extend Finland’s lead to 4-0.

Brent Solomon (Champlin, Minn.) got the U.S. on the scoreboard at 9:48 of the second period, firing a one-timer past Rossi after receiving a centering pass from Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.). Drew Schock (Green Bay, Wis.) assisted on the goal.

U.S. goaltender Ryder Fetterolf (Sewickley, Pa.) made an impressive cross-crease save with 14:02 left, denying a close-range opportunity near the bottom of the right circle. He and Wendt collectively made 25 saves, with Fetterolf stopping all 17 shots faced in the final two periods.

Teddy Mutryn was recognized as the U.S. Player of the Game.

GAME PHOTOS

• 
• 
• 

USA Blue 6, Sweden 1

Carter Sanderson (Pierre, S.D.) scored for Team USA at 16:01 of the first period, collecting the puck after a shot from Wyatt Cullen (Moorhead, Minn.) slipped past the sliding Sorqvist.

U.S. goaltender Harrison Boettiger (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) made a remarkable save on Sweden’s Isac Nilsson, extending his right pad to thwart a breakaway chance with just one second remaining in the period.

Sanderson netted his second goal of the match at 3:34 of the second period, backhanding a shot from just outside the slot after Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) intercepted the puck during a Swedish breakout, giving the U.S. a 2-0 lead.

Team USA increased its lead to 3-0 at 7:15, as Brooks Rogowski (Brighton, Mich.) launched a one-timer from the top of the slot that deflected off the boards and then off the back of Sorqvist’s leg into the net.

GAME PHOTOS

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

U.S. goaltender Ryan Cameron (Berwyn, Pa.) preserved his team’s three-goal lead with an outstanding save on a cross-crease attempt with 1:45 remaining, extending his toe to block the Swedish chance.

Theo Stockselius scored Sweden’s first goal of the match 28 seconds into the third period, tapping a shot into the net following a series of passes around Cameron’s crease to narrow the U.S. lead to 3-1.

Mikey Berchild (Excelsior, Minn.) restored the three-goal cushion for the U.S. with 13:46 left, shooting through Sorqvist after receiving a pass from Ethan Wyttenbach (Roslyn, N.Y.). Cullen added another goal with 5:42 to go, wristing a shot home after a feed from Wyttenbach to extend Team USA’s lead to 5-1.

Sanderson, named U.S. Player of the Game, completed his hat trick at 16:12, concluding the match with a 6-1 scoreline.

2026 WJSS Home Team USA Roster Team USA Schedule