Cole Hutson brought down the wild victory of the world juniors over Germany

The The United States received three bids to the World Junior Hockey Championship they got off to a great start on Friday, doubling up on the Germans 6-3 in front of their home crowd in Minnesota.

Defenseman Cole Hutson got off to another strong start in his second VJHC, recording two assists and a body throw in the win. He spoke with the NHL Network John Morosi after the win.

“We try to play the right way the whole game, don’t let the result of the game get to our head, just play shift by shift and do the right thing to win the right way,” the 19-year-old said.

It was not the cleanest game for @usahockeybut the Americans were able to come away with a 6-3 victory over Germany to start their #WorldJuniors campaign.

Cole Hutson spoke with @jonmorosi after the victory. https://t.co/UeIbnRHRG6 pic.twitter.com/PIApThVFEj

— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) December 27, 2025

This is the first time the tournament has been held in the United States since 2018, when Canada won gold in Buffalo and Orchard Park in New York. And a raucous crowd at the Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul gives the Americans a significant home-court advantage throughout the event.

“I got goosebumps walking out,” Hutson told Morossi. “I won’t say shocked, but I was kind of like it was a sellout tonight. It’s super fun to play behind. Just stay positive, this game is in the past, we have to keep moving forward and play the right way.”

The Capitals have a good one in Cole Hutson

Hutson was terrific at last year’s World Junior Championship, leading the tournament with 11 points in eight games as the United States won its second straight gold medal.

He has now tied Team USA record for career assists at the World Junior 10, held by Ryan Suter. He is one point shy of tying Eric Johnson (14) for the all-time scoring lead, according to BU Hockey Stats.

The younger brother of Montreal Canadiens blueliner Lana HutsonCole was selected in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL Draft.

He currently plays for Boston University; he scored 48 points in 39 games in the 2024-25 season and is up to 20 points in 18 games this season. He figures to be a catalyst if the United States hopes to win a third consecutive gold medal, something not seen at the tournament in nearly two decades.

Team USA will continue their quest for gold on Saturday against Team Switzerland; the puck should drop shortly after 6:00 PM ET from the Grand Casino Arena. The USA beat Switzerland 7-2 in the quarterfinals of last year’s tournament.