Lansing Sun

Michigan State sophomores Trey Augustine and Maxim Štrbák have been selected to represent their respective countries in the upcoming 2025 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships. The tournament will take place in Ottawa, Ontario. Both players were officially named to the rosters late this week.

The United States and Slovakia are scheduled for a pre-tournament exhibition game on Saturday, December 21, at 7 pm. Team USA will start its official tournament play against Germany on December 26 at 2:30 pm ET, while Slovakia will face Switzerland on December 27 at 1 pm ET.

Štrbák is making his fourth appearance in the World Juniors, setting an IIHF record shared by only 11 other players. He has played in 14 WJC games with one goal and nine assists. Augustine has been part of two previous WJC squads with Team USA, earning a bronze medal in 2023 and a gold medal last January in Sweden. He is among the few goaltenders to be selected for three WJC squads.

Their absence will be felt by Michigan State's hockey team, which currently holds a No.1 national ranking with a record of 13-2-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the Big Ten conference. Augustine, drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, maintains impressive statistics as the youngest starting goaltender in Division I college hockey with a GAA of 1.98 and a .930 save percentage. Štrbák was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres and has recorded nine points in sixteen games as part of Michigan State's top defensive pair.

Michigan State is set to resume play at the Great Lakes Invitational on December 29-30 in Grand Rapids.