They barely suffered in two games, although one of them was the semi-final against Finland, the U.S. team to win the IIHF U20 Junior World Championship in Goteborg (Sweden).
First Phase
Only the U.S. achieved a total of four wins in the first round, albeit one on penalties against the Czech Republic. Sweden, Canada and Slovakia would manage three and were seeded, with the USA, for the knockout rounds.
Quarterfinals
While the United States easily disposed of Latvia 7-2, the other knockout rounds were more closely contested.
Canada, who came to the tournament with a team without many stars, even Connor Bedard could have participated because of his age, did not show signs of great dominance throughout the tournament and lost 2-3 to the Czech Republic thanks to a goal by Jakub Stancl ten seconds from the end of the match.
The other two matches were settled in extra time. Jere Lassila 's goal 24 seconds into extra time gave Finland a 4-3 win over Slovakia in an intense encounter.
Sweden, meanwhile, who had taken a 2-0 lead in the first half, struggled to see off Switzerland 3-2 after five minutes of extra time, Axel Sandin scoring the only goal of the game.
Semifinals
A spectacular third period, with three goals, two of them from Jonathan Lekkerimaki, gave Sweden a 5-2 victory over a powerful Czech Republic that was the biggest surprise of the tournament.
Also a surprise was Finland, who came close to knocking the United States out of the final. Finland took the lead with two goals in the first half, which the USA had to equalize in the second. With three minutes left in the game, Cutter Gauthier scored the final goal to give the Americans a 3-2 win and qualify for the final of the tournament.
Final. United States 6 - 2 Sweden
Although Sweden managed to close the score to 3-2 at the end of the second half, the United States' scoring prowess was soon put to bed in the third period, giving the championship to the U.S. team.
Isaac Howard, from the University of Michigan and drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of 2022, was the top scorer of the final with two goals.
Jiri Kulich
The Czech player, whose rights are owned by the Buffalo Sabres and currently plays for the Rochester Americans of the AHL, was the tournament's best player with 12 points, six goals and six assists in seven games.
In the third-place game, in which the Czech Republic defeated Finland, 8-5, Kulich had two goals and two assists.
Also scoring 12 points, two goals and 10 assists was Swedish-born American Cutter Gauthier, whose NHL rights belong to the Philadelphia Flyers, currently playing at Boston College.