GOTHENBERG, Sweden – Seven members of the Boston College men’s hockey team – forwards Cutter Gauthier, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault and Will Smith, defensemen Drew Fortescue and Aram Minnetian, and goaltender Jacob Fowler – won gold medals on Friday as the U.S. National Junior Team beat host nation Sweden 6-2 to win the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Perreault and Leonard both scored for the Americans in the Gold Medal Game, while their linemate Smith had a pair of assists. The U.S. claimed its sixth gold medal at the World Junior Championship and second in the last four years, following the 2021 title featuring Matt Boldy, Drew Helleson and Spencer Knight.
Boston College set a USA Hockey record with seven players from the same school on a World Junior Championship roster. BC now has 17 players who have earned a total of 18 gold medals in the history of the tournament. 16 of those gold medals have been won by American skaters.
Gauthier was tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 12 points on two goals and 10 assists. He was named Best Forward of the World Junior Championship and scored the game-winning goal late in the third period of the Semifinal against Finland on Thursday.
Perreault (3-7-10) was tied for sixth in scoring at the event, while Smith (4-5-9) ranked 13th overall in points. Leonard added six points on three goals and three assists. As linemates, the trio combined for two goals and four assists in the Gold Medal Game.
Fortescue also collected an assist in gold medal victory over Sweden and closed the tournament with a plus-6 rating in seven games. Fowler made three starts and went 3-0-0 with a 2.59 goals against average, beating Latvia in the Quarterfinal round.
The U.S. finished the tournament with a 6-1-0-0 record and earned its 15th tournament medal.
BC’S WORLD JUNIOR GOLD MEDALS
Patrick Eaves – 2004 (USA)
Dan Bertram – 2006, 2007 (Canada)
Chris Kreider – 2010 (USA)
Johnny Gaudreau – 2013 (USA)
Colin White – 2017 (USA)
Casey Fitzgerald – 2017 (USA)
Joseph Woll – 2017 (USA)
Matt Boldy – 2021 (USA)
Drew Helleson – 2021 (USA)
Spencer Knight – 2021 (USA)
Drew Fortescue – 2024 (USA)
Jacob Fowler – 2024 (USA)
Cutter Gauthier – 2024 (USA)
Ryan Leonard – 2024 (USA)
Aram Minnetian – 2024 (USA)
Gabe Perreault – 2024 (USA)
Will Smith – 2024 (USA)