Buffalo 2025 Team Preview: Get to know USA

The 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool will take place from 24-31 May in Buffalo, New York. Hosted in conjunction with USA Hockey at LECOM Harborcenter, the tournament will feature three days of group play followed by three days of playoff contests. The top five finishers from the event will earn qualification spots for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The bottom three finishers will be forced to compete at the Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament that will take place later in 2025.

As the countdown continues, we take a look at hosts United States. 

Background 

The USA will enter the World Championships on its home ice in unfamiliar territory — not ranked No. 1 in the world for the first time in seven years. Team USA owns a record six world and five Paralympic titles, and have not missed a World Championships podium in 25 years. But last year, the red, white and blue settled for a surprising silver after losing to Canada in the final. A decade ago in Buffalo, the USA beat Canada, 3-0, in the gold-medal game to win what was then its third world title. Six members of that squad are still on the team today.

World Championships History

2024: Silver (A-Pool)
2023: Gold (A-Pool)
2021: Gold (A-Pool)
2019: Gold (A-Pool)
2017: Silver (A-Pool)
2015: Gold (A-Pool)
2013: Silver (A-Pool)
2012: Gold (A-Pool)
2009: Gold (A-Pool)
2008: Bronze (A-Pool)
2004: Silver (A-Pool)
2000: 6th place (A-Pool)
1996: 5th place (A-Pool)

🇺🇸 @USAHockey are World Champions! 🏆

With a 6-1 win over their rivals, Team USA take the Gold medal home with them.#MooseJaw2023 | #APool | #ParaIceHockey pic.twitter.com/vhNoK48f8O

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) June 5, 2023

Athlete to Watch

Declan Farmer — arguably the most well-known Para ice hockey scorer in the world today — will head to Buffalo fresh off a Milano-Cortina 2026 promo shoot with NBC. Now in his 14th season on the national team, Farmer led all skaters at last year’s World Championships with 20 points and led all skaters at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics with 18 points. Ten years ago in Buffalo, at the age of 17, he had his breakout moment when he scored an ESPN SportsCenter highlight-reel worthy goal to seal a gold-medal victory for the USA. 

Matchup to Watch

The USA’s most challenging game in the preliminary stage will come against Czechia, who it defeated 3-1 in last year’s semifinals. The 2024 contest between the two was all tied up until seven minutes remaining, when Malik Jones found then net and then Chris Douglas added an insurance goal. If there’s one team in the preliminary round that can give the host nation a run for its money, it’s the two-time reigning bronze medallists. 

Game Schedule

Saturday, 24 May
13:30 - USA vs. Norway

Sunday, 25 May
13:30 - Slovakia vs. USA

Tuesday, 27 May
13:30 - USA vs. Czechia

More information about the Buffalo 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships can be found here.