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BUFFALO -- Liam Cunningham is the youngest player on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. But one wouldn't know it with the composure the 17-year-old displays both on and off the ice.

The defenseman, in his second season with the team, brings a poise that belies his teenage years.

"The way he plays the game really resembles or models how he is as a person, too," USA coach Dave Hoff said. "We're so fortunate to have him. There's a lot of years in front of him."

Cunningham has been partnered with U.S. captain Josh Pauls at the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championship, which is taking place at LECOM Harborcenter this week, a lead-up to the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games in Italy.

"He's such a mature individual," Pauls said. "… He absolutely deserves to be here. So calm and composed for especially how young he is."

Part of that comes from not only life at home as the youngest of three brothers but also as a student and hockey player at St. Thomas Academy, a military high school in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. This year, he was named a platoon leader at school, which entails leading a class of 30 students when marching, among other instances.

"With two older brothers, I feel like you get beat up enough to where you're pretty strict in the house," said Cunningham, who grew up in River Falls, Wisconsin, before his family recently moved to Lakeland, Minnesota. "But, yeah, the military school as well. It's really helped me grow as a man. Our motto is -- the development of character."

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He was 7 years old when he was diagnosed with a degenerative bone disorder that caused him to have brittle bones in his legs. He had played stand-up hockey for about a year at that point but loved the game. When he found out that was no longer an option, he discovered sled hockey and joined the Minnesota Wild Sled Hockey Program and won a national championship with his team when he was in the fourth grade.

Then, at 13 years old, he participated in his first camp with the U.S. Men's Development Sled Hockey Team, and from there he had his sights set on earning his spot at the next level.

"I saw the level the sport's at, and it really intrigued me," Cunningham said. "Once I made the development team, I thought I had a chance (to join the national team), so really just put my head down and worked hard."

He made the national team roster as a 15-year-old, earning his way after only one season with the development team.

"It was surreal," Cunningham said of finding out he'd secured a spot. "I mean, I grew up watching a lot of these guys, and I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from them."

Pauls first met Cunningham more than a decade ago at a camp in northern Minnesota. He could see back then that there was something "pretty special" about him and witnessed it firsthand in October 2023 at the International Para Hockey Cup in Czechia in what was essentially a final tryout for Cunningham with the national team.

"By the end of the tournament, I was asking our coaches, like, 'Hey, I think he's one of the best 17 (players), what are we doing with him?' And I'm glad they agreed," Pauls said.

"We had no intention of keeping him on the team," Hoff said. "We were simply taking him over there for experience, really thinking more down the road that this would really pay off for us if we could get his feet wet a little bit. He played so well we couldn't get rid of him."

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Pauls, 32, has seen leadership from Cunningham, too. Earlier this season, Pauls was on the bench getting ready for his next shift. It was late in the game, and Cunningham looked at him and ensured the four-time Paralympic gold medalist was ready to head out on the ice.

"It was awesome," Pauls said. "I loved it. You can tell he understands the game, he knows situations. I don't have enough good things to say about him."

Pauls is one of several defense partners Cunningham has played with over the years, as well as current players Jack Wallace and Noah Grove. Hoff has made it a point alternate who he pairs Cunningham with to ensure he can play his game -- that of puck-mover with good vision and the ability create opportunities for his teammates.

"I just think that gives you confidence as a young guy that's really, really important to have," Hoff said. "I think it just allows him to be himself a little more."

Cunningham has learned a lot from his experienced teammates and, as an inquisitive young man, won't hesitate to ask questions to learn more while also watching them.

"Trying to nitpick everyone's top-notch skill and stuff," he said. "It's really fun to try to mold my game around others but try to be myself too."

Cunningham, a Wild fan, also tries to model his game after defenseman Jonas Brodin.

"Just his poise on the blue line," he said. "I've really tried to come into that role, to just be someone to rely on the blue line and add some offense to my game, too."

Pauls has been in Cunningham's shoes, having made his Paralympic debut as a 17-year-old in 2010. He says Cunningham is a better player now than he was at that age and sees unlimited potential.

"The sky's the limit," Pauls said. "I'm just so excited to see where he's going to be. I think he's going to be on this team for a long time, pretty much as long as he wants."

And for Cunningham, the opportunity to be on the sport's biggest stage is one he isn't taking for granted.

"It would be surreal," he said. "I'm going to work my hardest to make that (Paralympic) team this fall. It would be an awesome experience, for sure."