Friday, December 26, 2025

College Hockey Players in Global Spotlight at World Juniors

More Than 40 Current, Future NCAA Players to Compete in Tourney

College Hockey Players in Global Spotlight at World Juniors
Wisconsin’s Logan Hensler seeks his second straight gold medal with Team USA (Photo: Dan Sanger).

Forty-four current and committed NCAA Division I men’s hockey players will compete in the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship, which got underway today in Minnesota.

Eighteen different NCAA Division I teams will be represented during the tournament. Michigan and North Dakota lead with six players each, followed by Boston College, Boston University, and Michigan State with five each. Nine schools will boast multiple players on World Junior rosters.

Eight of the 10 participating countries will have NCAA representation, topped by the 24 college hockey players on the United States roster. Canada (seven), Latvia (three), Slovakia (three) and Sweden (three) all have multiple NCAA players on their respective rosters:

CANADA (7)
F Michael Hage, Michigan
G Jack Ivankovic, Michigan
D Ethan MacKenzie, North Dakota*
F Porter Martone, Michigan State
F Gavin McKenna, Penn State
F Cole Reschny, North Dakota
F Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota

CZECHIA (1)
F Václav Nestrašil, UMass

FINLAND (1)
F Heikki Ruohonen, Harvard

GERMANY (2)
F Max Hense, St. Lawrence*
F Dustin Willhöft, Boston College*

LATVIA (3)
F Rudolfs Berzkalns, Boston College*
F Roberts Naudins, Harvard*
G Mikus Vecvanags, Maine*

SLOVAKIA (3)
D Michal Čapoš, Western Michigan*
F Tobias Pitka, Northern Michigan
D Luka Radivojevic, Boston College

SWEDEN (3)
F Wilson Björck, Colorado College
D Sascha Boumedienne, Boston Univ.
F Eric Nilson, Michigan State

UNITED STATES (24)
D Asher Barnett, Michigan
F Kamil Bednarik, Boston University
F Cole Eiserman, Boston University
D EJ Emery, North Dakota
F James Hagens, Boston College
G Caleb Heil, North Dakota*
D Logan Hensler, Wisconsin
F Will Horcoff, Michigan
D Cole Hutson, Boston University
G Nicholas Kempf, Notre Dame
D Adam Kleber, Minnesota Duluth
G Brady Knowling, Boston University*
F Ryker Lee, Michigan State
F Cole McKinney, Michigan
F Brendan McMorrow, Denver
F L.J. Mooney, Minnesota
D Luke Osburn, Wisconsin
F Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth
D Chase Reid, Michigan State*
D Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, Michigan
F Teddy Stiga, Boston College
F Shane Vansaghi, Michigan State
F Will Zellers, North Dakota
F Brodie Ziemer, Minnesota

*  indicates NCAA commitment

The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship takes place Dec. 26, 2025, through Jan 5, 2026, in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The tournament can be seen on NHL Network in the United States and on TSN in Canada.

For more information, visit IIHF.com.