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Photo by: Brady Paitrick
Three from 'U' Named to Team USA Preliminary Roster
12/1/2025 11:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Gophers represented by three skaters for WJC
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Three players with ties to the University of Minnesota men's hockey program were named to the Team USA preliminary roster for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship. Current Golden Gophers LJ Mooney and Brodie Ziemer, along with signed prospect Jacob Kvasnicka, will take part in the team's camp from Dec. 15-23 in Duluth, Minn., it was announced Monday.
No strangers to international competition wearing the red, white, and blue, each of the trio previously spent two years playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program. The final roster is expected to be announced on Dec. 24 with the tournament taking place Dec. 26, 2025 - Jan. 5, 2026. The Maroon and Gold have been represented by at least one player at the event in 46 of the 49 years it has been played, including 11 players that have claimed a gold medal.
Mooney ranks third in scoring as a freshman for Minnesota with four goals and nine points and enters the final series of 2025 on a four-game point streak following his multi-point performance Saturday at Denver. The West Mifflin, Pa., native has produced eight points over his last six outings, showcasing his playmaking impact across all zones. A fourth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, he previously earned silver (2024) and bronze (2025) medals with Team USA at the IIHF U18 World Championships.
Fresh off helping Team USA capture gold at last year's tournament, including an assist on the overtime, championship-clinching goal, Ziemer aims to make it back-to-back titles with the Americans in 2026. He is tied for the Gophers' lead with eight goals this season and has scored five of the team's 10 power-play tallies, a mark that ranks seventh nationally. The sophomore has scored in four of his last five games and recorded points in 11 of 17 contests overall.
Kvasnicka, who signed with Minnesota last fall, is skating this season with the Penticton Vees of the Western Hockey League (WHL). A 2025 seventh-round selection of the New York Islanders, the Burnsville, Minn., product ranks 20th in the league and sits third among WHL rookies with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) through 25 games. He also stands second among first-year players with six power-play goals. Kvasnicka helped Team USA capture bronze at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship alongside Mooney.
Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko will lead Team USA at the championships for the third time in his career as he coached the U.S. to gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018. He will be joined on the bench by Gophers' associate head coach Steve Miller, director of operations Jacob LeRoy, and athletic trainer Jeff Winslow.
The U.S. enter the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship as two-time defending gold medalists after Gophers' Oliver Moore and Ziemer helped claim the title a year ago. Ryan Chesley, Sam Rinzel, and Jimmy Snuggerud won for the Americans in 2024.
Team USA will compete in Group A against Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland in the preliminary round at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild and PWHL's Minnesota Frost. Group B, which includes Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, and Latvia, will play its preliminary round contests at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.
No strangers to international competition wearing the red, white, and blue, each of the trio previously spent two years playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program. The final roster is expected to be announced on Dec. 24 with the tournament taking place Dec. 26, 2025 - Jan. 5, 2026. The Maroon and Gold have been represented by at least one player at the event in 46 of the 49 years it has been played, including 11 players that have claimed a gold medal.
Mooney ranks third in scoring as a freshman for Minnesota with four goals and nine points and enters the final series of 2025 on a four-game point streak following his multi-point performance Saturday at Denver. The West Mifflin, Pa., native has produced eight points over his last six outings, showcasing his playmaking impact across all zones. A fourth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, he previously earned silver (2024) and bronze (2025) medals with Team USA at the IIHF U18 World Championships.
Fresh off helping Team USA capture gold at last year's tournament, including an assist on the overtime, championship-clinching goal, Ziemer aims to make it back-to-back titles with the Americans in 2026. He is tied for the Gophers' lead with eight goals this season and has scored five of the team's 10 power-play tallies, a mark that ranks seventh nationally. The sophomore has scored in four of his last five games and recorded points in 11 of 17 contests overall.
Kvasnicka, who signed with Minnesota last fall, is skating this season with the Penticton Vees of the Western Hockey League (WHL). A 2025 seventh-round selection of the New York Islanders, the Burnsville, Minn., product ranks 20th in the league and sits third among WHL rookies with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) through 25 games. He also stands second among first-year players with six power-play goals. Kvasnicka helped Team USA capture bronze at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship alongside Mooney.
Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko will lead Team USA at the championships for the third time in his career as he coached the U.S. to gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018. He will be joined on the bench by Gophers' associate head coach Steve Miller, director of operations Jacob LeRoy, and athletic trainer Jeff Winslow.
The U.S. enter the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship as two-time defending gold medalists after Gophers' Oliver Moore and Ziemer helped claim the title a year ago. Ryan Chesley, Sam Rinzel, and Jimmy Snuggerud won for the Americans in 2024.
Team USA will compete in Group A against Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland in the preliminary round at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild and PWHL's Minnesota Frost. Group B, which includes Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, and Latvia, will play its preliminary round contests at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.
Highlights: Gophers 5, Ohio State 6
Friday, December 05
Highlights: Gophers 6, Ohio State 3
Thursday, December 04
Highlights: Gophers 6, Denver 5
Saturday, November 29
Highlights: Gophers 1, Penn State 2
Saturday, November 22