World Junior Championships put Michigan State hockey on the map

The World Junior Championships have put Michigan State hockey on the map with two Spartans leading Team USA to gold. 

For just the sixth time in program history, Team USA has won gold in the IIHF World Junior Championships. As a USA Hockey fan, this tournament is always fun to watch but this win was just different. Team USA had its best roster in years in Sweden and to have it be led by a couple of Michigan State hockey stars made it even more fun.

GOLDEN! 🇺🇸🥇 #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/h8JVWMbYU5

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 5, 2024

The Spartan contingent overall had a great tournament but Friday was its best day.

Isaac Howard had two goals today and was named player of the game for the Gold Medal Game. Trey Augustine made the start for Team USA and made 22 saves in the final as well.

Tommi Männistö and Finland lost a heartbreaker in the Bronze Medal Game to Chechnya. He has a great tournament overall, however. Tough to see a good Finnish team blow that lead late for bronze.

Let’s recap the Spartans’ performances in total now that the tournament is over as Michigan State hockey is back on the map.

A brief MSU WJC Recap:

Ike Howard USA – tournament leading goal scorer, Gold Medal game Player of the Game

Trey Augustine, USA- 22 saves in final, Gold Medal

Tommi Männistö, Finland – fourth place, top 3 performer for his team

Maxim Štrbák, Slovakia – top 3 performer for his… pic.twitter.com/2zD7C2Kdz8

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) January 5, 2024

Trey Augustine, Goaltender, Team USA

As stated above, Augustine got the start today in the Gold Medal Game and made a solid effort. Not everyone was aware but Augustine had been battling the flu while in Sweden and was not 100 percent since halfway through the preliminary round. The illness is also what led Team USA to bench him in the quarterfinals against Latvia. He recovered well enough to turn in stellar efforts in the semifinals yesterday and finals today and lead the Americans to gold. He finished the tournament with four wins.

Augustine solidifying the starter role for the team was a great step in his development. MSU fans should be excited for what’s to come for him. He will also remain eligible for next year’s World Junior Championships, should he not turn pro after this season. If he does come back to MSU, it would be likely that he would be the starter for next year’s games in Canada.

That could be something to watch for potentially there. Congratulations, Augustine.

Isaac Howard, Forward, Team USA 

Also mentioned above, Isaac “Ike” Howard saved his best game of the tournament for today’s game. The Spartan forward netted two goals today and was dominant for Team USA. Friday’s performance for Ike earned him “tournament leading goal scorer” and “Gold Medal game Player of the Game” honors. He finishes the tournament with seven goals and of course a gold medal to boot.

Tommi Männistö, Forward, Team Finland

Tommi finished a good overall tournament with a fourth-place finish. He was named as a top performer for Team Finland by the IIHF. He was a key contributor to the Fins and scored some big goals for them.

Maxim Štrbák, Defenseman, Team Slovakia 

The lone Michigan State hockey defensive player at the tournament also performed well. Maxim tallied one goal and five assists in the tournament and was named one of the three best by the IIHF. Unfortunately, the Slovakian team was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Finland. He was mentioned last week by The Athletic as someone whose stock has risen during the World Juniors.

Post World Juniors

The Spartan contingent will now head home and rejoin their squad for next weekend’s games against Penn State. Michigan State hockey has a game this evening against USA Hockey’s National Team Development Under 18 program tonight. This game is something the Spartans try to schedule annually and is always a fun game to check out. The USNDPT has a few players who are currently committed to MSU and Adam Nightingale for next year.

Congratulations to all Team USA members on a great showing this tournament. I cannot wait for next year’s tournament in Canada. Keep it here with Spartan Shadows for more MSU hockey content.