Team USA GM John Vanbiesbrouck makes his feelings about playing style at 2025 WJC extremely clear

Team USA is expected to play a relentless style of hockey at the 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC), general manager John Vanbiesbrouck said.

Vanbiesbrouck outlined Team USA’s approach to the tournament, which begins Dec. 26. NHL.com quoted him as saying:

"We're looking for relentlessness out there with our speed and tenacity."

His comments highlight the aggressive style needed to compete against teams like Canada, Sweden and Finland in what promises to be a highly competitive tournament.

Vanbiesbrouck added:

"I think we want every line to contribute, but we want to play to a real brand where we get on top of you and we continue to forecheck. That's one of our big things ... when we're on top of you and moving forward, every line's contagious and we're hard to beat and hard to play against."

Team USA boasts a powerful roster. With several high-profile prospects hitting the ice, there will be no shortage of talent on the American squad.

Vanbiesbrouck, a former NHL goaltender, concluded his thoughts on Team USA’s approach at the 2025 WJC by saying:

"We're chasing it every year and the chase is the best part of it. It makes the rewards so much greater. You can't rest on any piece of good or bad that happened because things do change and we're just trying to adapt with it and be successful with adapting."

The Americans begin their 2025 WJC campaign on Dec. 26 against Germany at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Vanbiesbrouck talks about Team USA meeting expectations at 2025 WJC

Vanbiesbrouck discussed the high expectations for Team USA, particularly the goal of repeating as champions.

The Team USA GM bluntly stated:

"I think we're meeting expectations that we have and those are high.”

While Vanbiesbrouck is confident in his team's chances at the 2025 WJC, he isn’t taking anything for granted. He added:

“We're going to be in North America and everybody assumes that's going to be easier but it's not. I mean, maybe travel-wise, but we're going to have more distractions, more people are going to be available to us and it's harder to weed through that.”

Managing distractions will be a major part of the Americans’ game plan. While the ultimate goal is to win another gold medal, Vanbiesbrouck emphasized the importance of having a strong showing.

He believes if the Americans play to their style, they should have a good chance of reaching the medal round.

Thus far, the expectation is the clash between the US and Canada. The two teams will meet on Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. EST. From there, it remains to be seen how the medal round plays out.

In the meantime, John Vanbiesbrouck and his squad are confident they will have a solid showing at the 2025 WJC.