From NCAA title to Team USA: WMU hockey’s freshman goalie lands on Team USA roster

KALAMAZOO, MI –– He’s won junior hockey gold medals, helped Western Michigan win its first national championship and been a roadblock in net.

Now, he’ll help man the net for Team USA.

Hampton Slukynsky has been selected to the U.S. Men’s National Team for the upcoming IIHL Men’s World Championships, becoming the only college player on the initial roster, which was announced on Thursday afternoon.

Slukynsky will join a team Team USA roster that features 18 players, four of which have made an NHL All-Star team: goalie Jeremy Swayman and forwards Matty Beniers (2022 Olympian), Clayton Keller and Tage Thompson.

Slukynsky, a fourth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, will hit the ice with Team USA in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark from May 9-25. Team USA finished fifth at the IIHL Men’s World Championships in 2024.

The freshman phenom has a long track record of winning –– he not only helped WMU win its first national championship earlier this month, but he also helped USA hockey win big games at the junior level.

The 6-foot-2 goaltender shielded the net for USA’s gold medal-winning U-18 Men’s World Championship team, and most recently helped propel the 2025 U.S. National Junior team to a gold medal in January.

Slukynsky holds a 7-2-0 record with a 1.90 goals against average and a .933 save percentage for Team USA.

He’s made 156 total saves, too.

A Warroad, Minnesota native, Slukynsky enjoyed a stellar 2024-25 season at Western Michigan, powering the Broncos to historic new heights thanks to a 19-5-1 record, an NCHC-leading 1.90 GAA and a .922 save percentage.

Slukynsky took over full-time goaltending duties when the lights were the brightest –– and shined, accordingly. The 19-year-old stopped 28 of 29 shots in both of WMU’s games at the Fargo regional in the NCAA Tournament, winning each 2-1 to lead the Broncos to their first-ever Frozen Four appearance.

He then combined for 44 saves against two of the nation’s top offenses –– Denver and Boston University –– to propel WMU to ultimate glory with the program’s first national championship at the Frozen Four.

Before his time at WMU, Slukynsky helped the Fargo Force win the Clark Cup in the USHL, and was named the Dave Peterson USA Hockey Goaltender of the Year for the 2023-24 season, along with earning the USHL’s Goaltender of the Year award.

Slukynsky has a first team all-USHL selection that season, posting a 28-3-0 record to go along with a 1.86 GAA and a .923 save percentage.

Nicknamed “hammer”, Slukynsky has an older brother, Grant, who is a sophomore forward for the Broncos.

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