St. Paul, Minn. — The United States were not anointed by many as a favorite for the 2026 World Junior, but exiting the tournament in the quarterfinals with a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland stung the host nation.
Cole Hutson was ‘knocked out cold’ in a preliminary round game with Switzerland, but came back for the quarterfinal game against Finland and made a huge impact on the ice. Hutson played 26:53 minutes, scored the game’s first goal and assisted on the team’s second goal which made him the USA defenseman with the most points scored at the World Junior Championships.
“It did give us a lift having him out there,” said Brodie Ziemer. “He’s such a special player, obviously, just set a new record. So I’m just proud of him and how far he’s come.”…