Team USA won gold at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship against Switzerland.
United States’ Clayton Keller holds up the tropy after the final match between United States and Switzerland at the ice hockey world championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
It was a mammoth moment.
Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan skated over to get a gold medal placed around their necks.
The four Utah Mammoth players suited up for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship and beat Switzerland 1-0 in overtime on Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm. It marked the first time in 92 years (since 1933) that Team USA won gold at the Worlds.
The World Championship is an annual international men’s hockey tournament put together by the International Ice Hockey Federation. NHL players can opt to participate if their respective teams missed the playoffs or were ousted in the first two rounds. This year’s World Championship was in Stockholm and Herning, Denmark, from May 9-25.
Switzerland’s Leonardo Genoni catches the puck and the stick of United States’ Logan Cooley during the final match between United States and Switzerland at the ice hockey world championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
After 60 minutes of scoreless play in the final, USA and Switzerland headed to a 20-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period. The Americans quickly ended the tournament on top.
Cooley corralled the puck out of the defensive zone and pushed it up to Tage Thompson who proceeded to rip it from the right circle for the game-winning tally at 2:02. Cooley’s primary assist on the play marked his 12th point in 10 games. The center had a cumulative four goals and eight assists which tied Frank Nazar (Chicago Blackhawks) for most on the team.
Cooley and Keller — who was named captain for Team USA — were atop the squad’s scoring production. The Mammoth duo was on the first line and played with both Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) and Conor Garland (Vancouver Canucks).
Garland and Keller had familiarity skating with each other; Garland was a fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2015. The forwards had three seasons on the same NHL team before Garland was traded to Vancouver in July 2021.
Following a career-high 90-point season with Utah, Keller posted 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games in the tournament. The 26-year-old was left off of the Team USA roster for February’s 4 Nations Face-Off and has his eyes on a spot in the 2026 Milan Olympic lineup. It is likely a reason Keller attended the World Championship for the first time since 2019. And his performance — both on the ice and leadership-wise — could bode well for him.
Cooley might be an under-the-radar pick for the Olympics, too. While he was not in the prominent conversation for 4 Nations, Cooley was a consistent difference-maker for Team USA this time around. The 21-year-old anchored the top line and showed the two-way, defensively detailed game that benefited the Mammoth. Cooley finished his sophomore NHL season with 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) in 75 matchups.
Switzerland’s Sven Andrighetto, left, and United States’ Michael Kesselring fight for the puck during the final match between United States and Switzerland at the ice hockey world championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Doan was the 13th forward for Team USA through most of the Worlds. The forward provided a depth role — somewhat similar to his bottom-six minutes in Utah — and had one goal.
Kesselring played on the third pair with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex Vlasic. The defensemen have seen each other throughout their hockey careers — they played against each other in Hockey East, for Northeastern and Boston University, respectively, from 2019-21.
Kesselring has joined Team USA at the World Championship the past two years and said it gave him more confidence going into this season with the Mammoth during which he took on a greater role. Kesselring had four points (one goal, three assists) at Worlds and 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 82 games in Utah.
Barrett Hayton and Karel Vejmelka participated in the World Championship, too. Hayton had two points (one goal, one assist) for Canada while Vejmelka logged a .902 save percentage and 2.98 goals against average with Czechia. Both teams were eliminated in the tournament‘s quarterfinal round.
Sunday’s victory was not just historic for Team USA but gave Keller, Cooley, Kesselring and Doan winning experience on a major stage ahead of their second season with the Mammoth — during which they’re aiming to make the playoffs.
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