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World Juniors Day 6 Three Stars: Hutson, Traff and Augustine
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Middleton
Jan 1, 2025, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 1, 2025, 09:43 EST
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With the New Year upon us, the most important part of the World Junior Championship tournament is here. But before we begin looking at the “playoffs,” with the quarterfinals starting on January 2, we need to take a look at the exciting slate of New Year’s Eve games, including a final game between Team USA and Team Canada that sees two American players taking two of the spots in my final round robin “three stars of the day” post.
So, let’s get started!

Third Star: Cole Hutson

Team USA’s game against Team Canada was a back-and-forth affair full of penalties. No goals were scored at even strength between the two teams, and Cole Hutson, who has been creating most of the Americans’ offense so far through the tournament, broke the ice.
Hutson’s forte, though, has always been his playmaking ability. Through Team USA’s first three games, he had only one goal and five assists all coming in their first game against Team Germany. He also added an assist against Canada, creating the second goal for Team USA, which would be the decider.
Had it not been for the performance of another player on his team, he would have been selected as the player of the game. However, another game for him resulted in barely missing the award (and the first star for me).

Second Star: Herman Traff

With Team Sweden looking to stay undefeated in the round-robin heading into the final game, they had to take on Team Czechia, just coming off a 4-2 victory against Team Slovakia, and a day off.
The first period between the Swedes and Czechs went scoreless, but it was Herman Traff who broke the silence in the second period. Not only was Traff- a third-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2024- the first goal-scorer of the game, but it was also his first time in the tournament and on his 19th birthday. What’s a better way to celebrate than scoring for your country in a meaningful tournament game?
Traff also doubled down in birthday goals just under six minutes later in the second, giving Sweden an insurance goal that would help them later in the period.
Traff’s two goals started the Swedes’ four-goal second period, leading them to a swift defeat of Team Czechia and an undefeated round-robin record. His performance was as impactful as any, and it came on a special day as well.

First Star: Trey Augustine

And now it’s time to talk about the best player for Team USA against Canada — Trey Augustine.
The Michigan State University goaltender struggled through his first two appearances in the World Juniors this year. He allowed four goals to Germany and four to Team Finland in an overtime loss, putting him with a 3.94 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage.
Fortunately for Team USA, Augustine showed up, making huge saves like this one to lead the Americans to a 4-1 win.
In the end, Augustine finished with 38 saves on 39 shots, good for a .974 save percentage.
Augustine looked shaky through his first two games, but just as he has done with the Spartans, he stepped up in a significant game for morale and standings purposes. He was the player of the game for Team USA, and the first star of the day.
Honorable Mentions: Cole Eiserman, Team USA (1G, 1A); Ludvig Johnson, Team Switzerland (1G, 1A); Petteri Rimpinen, Team Finland (28-save shutout vs. Latvia)

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