Team USA And New York Rangers Prospects Advance To World Junior Championship Semi-Final

New York Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue took on Switzerland in the 2025 World Junior Championship quarterfinal this afternoon in Ottawa, Ontario. Team USA jumped out to an early lead that they would never relinquish, eventually winning the contest by the score of 7-2, punching their ticket to the semi-final of the tournament in a few days time.

After beginning the tournament with three points in their group play opener, Perreault went somewhat quiet- tallying just one point in the remaining three games of the group stage for the United States. The Thursday afternoon matchup with Switzerland would see Perreault come back to life, however, as the 19-year-old registered three assists for the United States in his almost 16 minutes of time on ice. On one of these assists, Perreault demonstrated his coolness in high-pressure situations, seemingly effortlessly sliding a perfect pass to Zeev Buium who finished the play to give the U.S. a 5-1 lead in the second period.

Perreault was involved in almost half of all goals scored by the United States on Thursday, and could be a big part of the success of the United States moving forward in their pursuit of a medal.

On the defensive side of the puck, Rangers draft pick Drew Fortescue registered just over 16 minutes on the ice Thursday afternoon, and was on the ice for zero goals against. This shouldn't be a surprise for anyone who's been watching Fortescue up to this point at the World Juniors. The Boston College Eagle has been on the ice for just two goals against through the entire tournament, and has registered a plus/minus of plus-six through his five games played.

The semi-final will see the United States face-off against the winner of the quarter-final of either Finland vs Slovakia, or Canada vs Czechia on Thursday evening. Earlier in the tournament, the United States fell to Finland 4-3 in overtime, a game in which Perreault registered zero points and Drew Fortescue was a plus-one. When the U.S. played Canada, the Americans came away with a 4-1 win on New Year's Eve.

It's a positive sign for many Rangers fans to see Perreault getting on the scoresheet and Fortescue holding down the fort defensively in high-pressure games for the United States. Their ability to show up in big games conveys a maturity that's highly sought after in young prospects. With their win on Thursday afternoon, Perreault and Fortescue will have the opportunity to add to their already impressive resumes before becoming New York Rangers.