2025 World Junior Summer Showcase: 3 things learned on Day 1

Sunday was the first day of the World Junior Summer Showcase to help determine the rosters for the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

MINNEAPOLIS -- It wouldn't come as too much of a shock if the top line for the United States in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship is a familiar one.

James Hagens, the playmaking forward who was chosen No. 7 by the Boston Bruins in the 2025 NHL Draft, centered a line with left wing Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) and right wing Brodie Ziemer (Buffalo Sabres) in the opener for USA White during the World Junior Summer Showcase at Ridder Arena on Sunday.

If the trio sounds familiar, it should. The Stiga-Hagens-Ziemer line wreaked havoc on the opposition for USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team in 2023-24.

"It'd be nice playing with those guys but you're not the coach and you don't know what lines are going to be put together," Hagens said. "What I liked about the line (with the NTDP) was there were no egos, just being able to go out there and play freely. We're best buddies off the ice, so being able to have that connection where you could talk to a guy, could say something, it's just awesome. That's a huge part of hockey, and if you're communicating with your linemates, it just makes it that much easier."

They were up to their old tricks in a scrimmage against Finland, combining for five points, including two goals by Stiga, in a 5-2 victory.

"Obviously, playing with [Hagens and Ziemer] at NTDP was great and getting back out there with them today was really fun," Stiga said. "Obviously, I play with James at Boston College, but Brodie is a guy I miss playing with. He's just a dog out there, always going to give it his best."

Here are three things learned Sunday:

Hunger games

Finland hasn't exactly gotten over its heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the United States in the gold medal game of the 2025 WJC in Ottawa.

"They're hungry. ... There's lots of the same guys we had last year, and I think knowing how close we came and how well we did, we really grew as a team," Finland coach Lauri Mikkola said. "This team knows what they have to do."

Before the showcase, Finland hosted a four-team tournament in Vierumäki, Finland, featuring two teams made up of players under the age of 20 against programs from Czechia and Switzerland of the same age.

The country has seven returning players from the silver medal team participating this week. Two notable omissions are forwards Konsta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres) and Emil Hemming (Dallas Stars), who each played in the local tournament in Finland.

"(Helenius and Hemming) are staying home to practice and want to be ready for NHL training camps," Mikkola said. "They have a long season ahead of them, so that's why they're staying in Finland."

Brock is back

Brock Faber found himself on familiar ice in a familiar situation this weekend as an anointed camp ambassador coach for the United States.

"(U.S. coach) Bob (Motzko) contacted me and a few other guys and asked if we wanted to do this, and obviously it's a 10-minute drive for me so of course I said yes," said the Minnesota Wild defenseman, who played for Motzko at the University of Minnesota from 2020-23. "It's really cool that Bob thought to do this. Being able to just hang around these guys, just knowing that I've been in their shoes is cool and it's definitely a privilege that I got asked to do it. It's fun."

Faber represented the United States at the 2021 and 2022 WJC and is one of four former Gophers Motzko called upon to impart their experience onto the current players vying for a spot on the team. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies and Anaheim Ducks defensemen Drew Helleson and Jackson LaCombe are also working as coach ambassadors during the showcase.

"They've all put on a USA jersey so many times and are great ambassadors," Motzko said. "That's perfect. They're here to meet the players, talk, make it more comfortable, give us coaches some grief and have a good time."

Sweden status report

Sweden forwards Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks) and Victor Eklund (New York Islanders) are not here at the summer showcase due to other obligations, though they could join their country when the 2026 WJC begins on Dec. 26.

"They've been playing a lot of hockey and had a lot of things going on in the summer as well," Sweden coach Magnus Havelid said. "Hopefully, they will be here in December. We're going to see where they play, but hopefully it's in Swedish Hockey League (with Djurgarden)."

Eklund, who was selected with the No. 16 pick in the 2025 draft, had six points (two goals, four assists) and averaged 17:24 of ice time in seven games in the 2025 WJC. Frondell, who was selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 draft, did not represent Sweden due to an injury.

NHL.com independent correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this story