World juniors: Team USA placed in quarantine, forfeits vs. Switzerland after multiple positive COVID-19 tests – The Athletic

December 28, 2021Updated 3:47 PM EST

Team USA, the defending World Junior Championship gold medalists, has been placed in quarantine and will forfeit Tuesday’s Group B game against Switzerland after two players tested positive for COVID-19, the IIHF announced Tuesday. The team beat Slovakia 3-2 in its first Group B game on Sunday; Group B includes Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.

The team’s quarantine status will be evaluated later to determine whether it can compete in the next preliminary round game, scheduled for Wednesday against Sweden, the IIHF said in a statement. Tuesday’s game result will be recorded as a 1-0 win for Switzerland by forfeit, in accordance with the IIHF rule book. Team Sweden has not been given an update on the status of Wednesday’s game, a source told The Athletic.

Although the IIHF has Team USA in a “bubble,” it is not as strict as measures taken by various sports in 2020; the team is sharing a hotel with several others teams at the tournament.

There will be another round of re-testing to check for false positives, sources confirmed to The Athletic.

“We’re extremely disappointed, especially for our players,” GM John Vanbiesbrouck said in a statement released on behalf of Team USA. “We’re operating in an ever-changing landscape and that’s very challenging. We’ve followed the tournament protocol from the outset and will continue to do everything we can to ensure our players have the opportunity to compete at the World Junior Championship.”

In Sunday’s win, Blackhawks prospect Drew Commesso made 23 saves on 25 shots. Team USA got goals from Matthew Knies, Mackie Samoskevich and Landon Slaggert. Team USA and Russia are tied with three points in Group B, trailing Sweden, which has six points after winning its first two games.

Capacity for the World Junior Championship, which began Dec. 26, has been capped at 50 percent by the Alberta government due to surging COVID-19 cases. The world juniors are being played in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

For the latest on the world junior tournament, please visit our live blog.

(Photo: Dave Reginek / Getty Images)