The Washington Capitals will see a couple of their prospects from the 2024 NHL Draft donning the red, white, and blue of Team USA this summer.
Cole Hutson and Nick Kempf were two of 42 players named to the USA’s roster for the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase. The event will take place at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from July 25 to August 2 and include practices and games against prospects from Canada, Sweden, and Finland.
Both players were just in attendance at the Capitals’ Development Camp last week.
The 42 Americans will start on two different teams – USA White and USA Blue – before being melded together into one team for their final three games. The Summer Showcase is held so national teams can evaluate players for the upcoming 2026 World Junior Championship in Minnesota.
Hutson is one of the older prospects heading to the camp, having already helped guide his nation to a gold medal finish at the 2025 World Juniors. The 19-year-old rearguard became the first-ever defenseman to lead the tournament in scoring when he posted 11 points (3g, 8a) in seven games.
The 2024 second-round pick then concluded his freshman season at Boston University, advancing all the way to the 2025 National Championship game. Hutson recorded 48 points (14g, 34a) in 39 games for the Terriers, taking home the Tim Taylor Award presented to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey freshman. He also dressed in a preliminary game for Team USA at the senior World Championship in May.
Kempf, a Capitals fourth-round pick in 2024, played his freshman season at Notre Dame this past year. The 19-year-old backstop served as the team’s backup netminder, notching a 2-10-1 record with a 3.74 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
The Chicago native starred for the US at the 2024 Under-18 World Junior Championship, going 5-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage, and two shutouts. The Americans won silver at the tournament, falling 6-4 to Canada in the gold medal game.
Kempf is slated to be Notre Dame’s starting goaltender in his sophomore season, as the previous number one, Owen Say, will begin his professional career in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers next year.
