James Hagens and Will Zellers won't be leaving Minnesota with a medal, but that doesn't take away from their success.
Regardless of the failures of Team USA at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, it was quite the week for Will Zellers. The University of North Dakota forward started this month not on the Team USA preliminary roster, stole a spot at the camp late, made the team as an extra forward/fourth-liner, and then played the quarter-final matchup on the first line against fellow Boston Bruins prospect James Hagens.