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Red Wings Prospects to Battle For World Junior Supremacy

USA faces Finland for gold medal

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2 weeks ago

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Trey Augustine, Red Wings prospect
Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine is looking to backstop the USA to a second straight world junior title.

There will be Detroit Red Wings prospects on both sides of the battle in Sunday’s gold medal game at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

Just not the one everyone was expecting to be there.

It will be Trey Augustine and Max Plante of the USA facing off with Jesse Kiiskinen and Finland for all the marbles. Kiiskinen and the Finns stunned Sweden and Red Wings first-round draft pick Axel Sandin Pellikka in the semifinals.

Kiiskinen would score a goal as Finland won 4-3 in overtime, handing the Swedes their first loss of the tournament. Finland is also the only team to beat the USA. The Finns recorded a 4-3 OT triumph over the Americans in group stage play.

With five goals, winger Kiiskinen is now owner of a share of second place in the tournament in goals. His semifinal tally gave Finland a 2-1 lead. Detroit was acquiring Kiiskinen’s rights last summer in a trade with the Nashville Predators.

Sandin Pellikka will be taking a share of the tournament scoring lead with nine points, as well as a broken heart into Sunday’s bronze-medal game against Czechia.

“It’s boring,” Swedish website Aftonbladet reported Sandin Pellikka as saying after the loss to Finland. “We want to play the final so it sucks.

“I think we played our hearts out in the last period and extra time. We have a lot of chances but the puck doesn’t want to go in so it sucks.”

Red Wings Pick Poised To Make History

Should the USA win for the second year in a row, it will be the first time in tournament history that the Americans have won successive titles. And Augustine will have been the winning goalie in both gold-medal contests. He’s already assured of joining a select group of goalies who’ve won medals in three successive world juniors. Augustine won a bronze medal at the 2023 world juniors.

The USA beat Czechia 4-1 in their semifinal game. Augustine made 26 saves for the win. With a win on Sunday, the goaltender the Red Wings chose 41st overall in the 2023 NHL entry draft would become just the sixth netminder with two world junior gold medals.

Right-winger Plante is playing in his first world junior tourney. He’s accounted for a goal and an assist in five games. Detroit chose Plante 47th overall in the 2024 NHL entry draft.

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