2026 World Junior Summer Showcase: Murtagh, Wyttenbach highlight top standouts from Day 2
The United States swept Day 2 at the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, with both squads beating their European counterparts in dominant efforts.
USA Blue needed about half the game to find the net, but Ethan Wyttenbach would tally a pair to get them there. Finland’s Eetu Orpana would make things interesting with a goal late in the second period, but Brooks Rogowski, Jamie Glance and Carter Sanderson would tally one each in the third to win the game 5-2 for the Americans.
USA White dominated from the very get-go, with Carter Amico, Jacob Kvasnicka and Chase Reid all finding the back of the net in the opening frame. Milton Gastrin scored a goal at 16:19, but that wasn’t enough to flip things in Sweden’s favor. Sammy Nelson’s second-period goal – USA’s second power-play marker of the night – offset Filip Ekberg’s marker on the man advantage in the second. Jack Murtagh then finished his three-point effort early in the third, scoring on the power play to make it 5-2. Jakob Ihs Wozniak made it 5-3 with less than 10 minutes to go, and it seemingly sparked the team’s attack. It didn’t last, though, as Mason West scored his first for the Americans to make it 6-3. Viktor Klingsell scored to make it 6-4 with less than a minute left, but USA had already done enough damage to complete the effort.
USA will now use a centralized roster for the remaining three games, starting with Finland on Wednesday before taking on Sweden on Thursday and Canada on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the top performers on Monday in Windsor:
Finland 1, USA Blue 5
Finland
#5 Julius Saari, D: Saari had an assist on the Finnish goal that made it 2-1. He also proved to be a headache for the American attackers, who were forced to use the perimeter to create scoring chances. The 6-foot-2 defender is physical and skates well, and it allows him to take away time and space rapidly. Saari was Finland’s captain at the 2025 U-18s, and I think there’s a good chance we see him in a bottom-pairing role on the main roster in a few months because of his responsible defensive play
#11 Rasmus Kämäräinen, LW: It was a blast watching Kämäräinen play internationally last season, and I’ve really liked his tournament so far. He’s an undersized but skilled forward who does an impressive job of consistently getting himself to scoring lanes. Kämäräinen plays with a ton of skill and has to use that to go out and beat bigger defenders. His skating has also taken some nice steps forward since he was first draft eligible. I don’t think it will be enough for him to get noticed by an NHL team anytime soon, though. Still, I really like this game.
USA Blue
#31 Ryan Cameron, G (Edmonton Oilers): There’s nothing overly flashy about Cameron’s game, but he continues to find ways to impress. The 6-foot-2 goaltender was excellent in this one, making a couple of high-quality saves in his one-half of game action. He’s fast, tracks pucks well and seems to shine when the spotlight is on him. Cameron is still quite raw and he needs to better consistently, but I loved what I saw from him today.
#12 Ethan Wyttenbach, RW (Calgary Flames): Not only has Wyttenbach established himself as a top-line player for the Americans, but he has also shown outstanding poise as the best player in this tournament thus far. I know it’s just a summer tournament, but Wyttenbach has absolutely dominated the majority of the shifts and looks like an absolute star. USA left him off the final roster a year ago, but there’s absolutely no way they’re making that mistake again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s USA’s top player in December.
#17 Jamie Glance, RW (2027 NHL Draft): I was in the process of writing about how impactful Glance’s puck retrieval game was… only for him to steal the puck and then blast it in the net to make it 4-1. He has such an outstandingly quick release and can snipe from just about anywhere. Glance works so hard along the boards and is great in tight, allowing himself plenty of opportunities to create dangerous chances around the net. I love his energy, and I think Glance will make USA’s final roster despite being a draft-eligible prospect.
#38 Wyatt Cullen, C (Nashville Predators): It’s been fascinating watching Cullen play center, given he has primarily been a winger in his career. But the University of Minnesota commit is a smart two-way player who allows opponents little time to make decisions. He’s a well-structured forward who many scouts mistook for a center last year because of how good he was in his own zone. Cullen didn’t get an assist on the 2-0 USA goal, but he worked his tail off to make that play happen. If you’ve ever watched him before, that’s not surprising.
#57 Brooks Rogowski, C (Vancouver Canucks): It was yet another outstanding game out of the Canucks prospect. Rogowski is a powerhouse forward who gives opponents so little space to work with. He’s got a big frame and he’s strong defensively. For a big center to thrive, they’ve got to be a great skater. He absolutely fits the bill. I love the effort on the third American goal that essentially put things out of reach.
Sweden, 4 USA White 6
Sweden
#11 Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, RW (Vegas Golden Knights): Ihs-Wozniak was one of the fastest players today, creating many quality plays at pace. He scored a goal late in the game to give the Swedes some hope, but it wasn’t enough to really change the course in the end. Still, that’s two great games for Ihs-Wozniak, who could fill a decent middle-six scoring role come December.
#12 Milton Gastrin, C (St. Louis Blues): Gastrin is a reliable two-way center who doesn’t make a ton of mistakes with the puck. He scored the first Swedish goal today that started with a solid defensive play at the other end. I know his game is not overly flashy. And he might be more of a third-liner in the NHL. But with many of Sweden’s top eligible prospects to make the NHL full-time this season, Gastron might be relied on heavily this year. He was more of a depth guy a year ago, but I expect him to have a much bigger role with that extra maturity and pro hockey experience under his belt.
#14 Filip Ekberg, LW (Carolina Hurricanes): So Ekberg was one of the biggest stars of the 2025 U18 World Championship, but didn’t end up joining Sweden at the 2026 World Juniors. They’re going to have a hard time keeping him off the roster in December, especially if he plays like he did today. Ekberg is fantastic around the net, and he’s especially powerful in the power play, where he loves to let his shot run free. He scored the second Swedish goal today and then had a couple of other good looks a few minutes later as he seemed to play with a lot more energy
#25 Viktor Klingsell, LW (Winnipeg Jets): Klingsell is more of a playmaker, and he lived up to that end of the bargain with two assists. But he also scored the final Swedish goal after helping break out of the zone before getting himself in front for a pass. He’s not the best 200-foot player, but he can be a bit of a buzzsaw when games are tight. I loved his play in the second half today.
#26 Eric Nilson, C (Anaheim Ducks): Nilson didn’t score or anything today, but I still liked his effort. He did a bit of everything that you want to see out of a two-way center: reliable D-zone efforts and great off-puck play reads. Nilson did a good job of disrupting plays and forcing turnovers while also making some excellent passes up the ice.
USA White
#11 Landon Nycz, D (St. Louis Blues): Nycz has been known to show some flashes of skill sporadically, and today was definitely one of those times. He displayed some smooth skating, and it helped lead to the first American goal today. It just felt like he was using the open ice a bit more to his advantage. Definitely more than we were used to seeing him this past season. USA Hockey typically looks for an older player with college experience as a seventh D-man, and I can see Nycz becoming that guy. It’s going to be a competitive group to try and make, but today was a good start.
#25 Chase Reid, D (Seattle Kraken): He’s just so good, and I feel like some teams are going to wish they didn’t pass him up at the draft. Reed was USA’s top defenseman, making some outstanding plays all game long. I loved his power play goal because he showed a little bit of everything that makes him so fascinating. He has an outstanding shot. He’s very deceptive with the puck. And he can get into scoring lanes quickly. It didn’t feel like I was watching him during a summer hockey game. It truly felt like he was already in midseason form, which is pretty rare to find, even when you’re a top defenseman at this event.
#14 L.J. Mooney, LW (Montreal Canadiens): Mooney wasn’t in the lineup for the first game, but gave USA White a massive boost in this one. He had a great breakaway chance in the first period, and while it didn’t amount to anything, you could tell that his energy and speed were tough for the Swedes to contain. I love how crafty and skilled he is around the net, and it’s an absolute joy getting to watch him buzz around the offensive zone, especially on the power play.
#15 Teddy Mutryn, C (San Jose Sharks): Another strong effort for Mutryn, who had a pair of assists tonight. I thought he worked extra hard last night, but wasn’t rewarded either on the scoresheet or the win column. Today, though, he was thriving on the rush while being quite impressive defensively, too. Mutryn looks like a potential bottom-six candidate and I think this tournament has really opened up that opportunity.
#19 Jack Murtagh, LW (Philadelphia Flyers): Murtagh is a bubble player for the main roster, but he had a goal and three points today. That goal, in particular, showcased how quick his hands can be, spinning in front of the net to score that goal. He loves hanging out by the goal line, but he’s also physically strong enough to get himself to the front of the net and win most of his battles.
#26 Victor Plante, LW (Detroit Red Wings): Plante was one of the best playmakers on the USNTDP, and he showed that in spades today with a trio of helpers. It’s games like today where he’s able to slow the pace of play down and utilize the extra space on the man advantage where you see just how valuable he is as a playmaker. The Red Wings have a solid prospect here.
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