Goalie competition wide open for U.S.; Lindstrom working way back from injury
© USA Hockey/Bjorn Franke
Friday was the sixth day of the World Junior Summer Showcase to help determine the rosters for the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, to be held in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
MINNEAPOLIS — The United States has five goalies in camp this week at the World Junior Summer Showcase, showing how wide open the competition is for picking a starter for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Caleb Heil (Tampa Bay Lightning), Kambryn Hendrickson (2026 draft eligible), Nicholas Kempf (Washington Capitals), John Parsons (2026 draft eligible) and Patrick Quinlan (2026 draft eligible) are getting the first cracks during practice and games this week against Canada, Finland and Sweden to show they should be the choice to replace Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings), who was the starter for back-to-back gold medals at the World Juniors in 2024 and 2025.
“I’m just coming in here and showing what I can do,” said Kempf, the only goalie back from last year’s summer showcase. “Going out there and competing and giving it my all. Kind of a weird schedule, splitting games. You’ve just got to roll with it. And that was something I was able to learn last year, which is nice to be able to kind of know what’s going on while I’m here and just take everything that I’ve been through and roll with that.”
© USA Hockey/Bjorn Franke
Rolling with it includes not allowing the pressure of trying to replace Augustine to sneak in.
“Obviously I think he’s an unbelievable goalie,” Heil said. “I think we all have that capability. But I think we’ve just got to focus on our own path and being in the moment and our journey, and just do what we can to help the team win.”
From a statistical standpoint, Heil has been a camp standout, allowing one goal on 34 shots in two games (one start). The 19-year-old helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2025 World Junior A Challenge with a tournament-leading 1.33 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in three games. He’ll play this season with Madison of the United States Hockey League.
“It’s been really good,” he said. “It’s been good to be with these guys, see a lot of familiar faces, and go compete with these guys and show what we can do.”
Kempf, who will play at Notre Dame this season, has allowed seven goals on 46 shots in two starts.
“I haven’t been too pleased with how I’ve been playing, but at the end of the day I know I’ve got the whole season, the first half, in front of me, so that’s going to play a big role in whether I make this team or not,” he said. “And I’m excited to show what I can do.”
So are the other goalies. Hendrickson (Connecticut) and Parsons (Providence) will be playing NCAA hockey, and Quinlan will be with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League.
Coach Bob Motzko knows he’ll have a lot of watching to do over the next few months.
“I think [goaltending] is something that you’re going to evaluate all the way through December,” he said. “… It’s a long process, the whole thing. Goes through December, right?”
Here are three things learned Friday:
Cayden Lindstrom has looked impressive during his time at the summer showcase. The forward scored two power-play goals in the third period for Canada White in a 4-3 shootout win against Canada Red on Tuesday, and was physical in a 6-3 loss to Finland on Wednesday.
But he said his game remains a work in progress.
“My speed’s coming back now so that’s good,” Lindstrom said. “I’m feeling fast on the ice, or faster. I think I’ve still got a long ways to go, though. I think just my touches and my timing can be a lot better personally. But other than that, I feel good. I feel 100 percent on the ice. I’m still physical, obviously. My speed is coming back, and stuff like that. But I think I’m not really where I want to be yet. I still have a long ways to go.”
Lindstrom already has come a long way. He missed the final 36 regular-season games of the 2023-24 season with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League because of a back injury. He came back for a short time during the WHL playoffs but didn’t look like himself.
After the Columbus Blue Jackets selected him with the No. 4 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, he stayed off the ice for most of the summer to let his back heal. When he still had issues at the start of the season, he had a microdiscectomy to repair a disk that was compressing a nerve Nov. 19.
He finally returned to play during the WHL playoffs May 9, and had four points (two goals, two assists) in four games. He also played three games at the Memorial Cup.
Despite all the time off, and his own high standards, Lindstrom has been a standout during the summer showcase, scoring three goals in three games, including one in Canada’s 8-4 loss to Sweden on Friday.
“I saw him last spring there [at the Memorial Cup], but it wasn’t very … he was coming off an injury and stuff,” said Canada coach Dale Hunter, who coached against Lindstrom at the Memorial Cup with London of the OHL. “It wasn’t a fair evaluation of him. He’s been flying out here. He can really skate. I didn’t know he could skate that fast. It opens your eyes up.”
Next for Lidstrom is Michigan State University, where he’s already set up in an apartment with teammates Eric Nilson (Anaheim Ducks), Melvin Strahl (Blue Jackets) and Matt Lahey (Toronto Maple Leafs).
“I actually moved in three weeks ago,” he said. “I’ve been there for the summer already. The whole team is there summer training … we’re grinding already.”
Lindstrom continues to grind away at getting his game to not just back to where it was before the injury, but even better.
“I’m a lot better than what I was two months ago for sure,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good progress, and I’m definitely on the right track to where I was previously. I obviously want to come out even better than I was, though, before as a player.”
© USA Hockey/Bjorn Franke
Herman Liv has a few personal touches to his goalie mask. For him, that’s a picture of his father, Stefan Liv.
“I have on the side of my helmet, a picture of him,” said the 18-year-old, who is here at camp with Sweden. “He’s in the net. I have four helmets, and he’s been on all four.”
Herman Liv never got to play in front of his father. He was 5 years old when Stefan was one of 44 victims when the plane carrying his Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the Kontinental Hockey League crashed shortly after takeoff Sept. 7, 2011.
“He’s a big role model for me,” Herman said. “He always was out competing, always wanted to win, and I try to do that as well.”
Herman only has seen some video of his father, who was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round (No. 102) of the 2000 NHL Draft, and played professionally for 12 seasons, mostly in Sweden.
But people who knew Stefan said they see a lot of similarities in Herman.
“I’ve heard some guys say that we’re similar of size, or how we go, or how we run,” Herman said. “Some things on the ice as well.”
Not to mention the similar position choice. For Herman, goalie was in his blood.
“I think it’s been all my life,” he said. “I don’t remember … no one said to me that I’m going to be a goalie. It’s just been, like, since I was born, I always have been in the net. Playing out, it’s never been a choice for me.”
Stefan made Sweden’s roster for the Olympics twice (2006, 2010) and the IIHF World Championship six times, but he never played in the World Juniors.
“He’s great … always, spectacular saves, so it’s been fun to have him on the team,” Sweden forward Melvin Fernstrom (Pittsburgh Penguins) said of Herman. “And yeah, outside he’s a good guy. Talks to everyone. I think everyone likes him.”
Herman will play for Almtuna in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second division, after playing Orebro’s team in Sweden’s junior league last season.
“I think it’s going to be a good step for me to go to play senior and to play [more] games and compete,” Herman said. “I think I’ve become stronger, both in the legs and off the ice. That has helped me.”
Henry Brzustewicz credits Hunter, his coach with London of the OHL, for helping him grow as a player and be selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round (No. 31) of the 2025 NHL Draft.
But if the defenseman prospect makes the United States roster for the World Juniors, he’ll have no problem doing everything he can to beat Hunter, who will coach Canada at the tournament.
“It will be really cool,” Brzustewicz said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a bit now, and obviously that would be a really cool opportunity to play against him. I kind of know their system, so maybe I can use that to my advantage.”
Brzustewicz knew it well enough that he had 42 points (10 goals, 32 assists) in 67 regular-season games and helped London win the OHL championship and the Memorial Cup.
“He was a top-four [defenseman] and he just kept getting better and better,” Hunter said. “I’ve watched all of his games here, and he’s played really well here too.”
Brzustewicz said the next step is him displaying more of his offense. He had to be a bit more reliable defensively while being paired with Sam Dickinson (San Jose Sharks), who was second among OHL defensemen last season with 91 points (29 goals, 62 assists) in 55 games.
“There’s glimpses of that last year, just when guys were gone at World Juniors, when I had more of an opportunity,” he said.
Hunter has no doubt Brzustewicz can handle the extra responsibility.
“He knows when to jump into the rush,” he said. “He’s smart; that’s why he had them points. And he’s a smart offensive player. He didn’t get the power-play time because we had a couple guys that were really good on the power play, older, but this year coming up he’ll be running our power play, and he’ll be way more than 50 points.”
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