The 19-year-old could have over 100 friends and family in attendance throughout World Juniors, with the United States’ first four games at Grand Casino Arena.
Ziemer was a regular attendant at Mariucci growing up, where he watched his childhood heroes like Nick Bjugstad and chanted “M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A,” donning the same iconic maroon and gold jersey he wears today. Those chants and jerseys will be traded in for cries of “U-S-A" and the classic red, white, and blue look.
“Anytime you get to skate out on the ice with that USA jersey on, it's kind of hard to explain,” Ziemer said. “It's like nothing else, really. There's just so much pride involved and getting to do it in my hometown too and have all my loved ones around to watch is crazy. I’m just super lucky.”
The U.S. has won three of the last five World Junior Championships, including last year’s tournament in Canada in front of an inherently hostile crowd. Playing into the opposing fans is something that has fed into the United States’ edge and it’s become a key dynamic in the last two gold medal runs. This year, however, they’ll have the backing of a home fanbase.
Ziemer knows the energy the Minnesota fans give. He played catalyst as a three-goal onslaught in the second period from the Gophers – including a power play tally from Ziemer – sent Mariucci into a frenzy and fueled a comeback win over a top-10 team in Penn State last month.
“It sounded like the roof was actually gonna come off,” he recalled.
Ziemer said playing in that environment is pivotal in establishing momentum and helping navigate the external noise that comes with chasing a three-peat.
"There's so much outside noise that goes on, especially during this tournament,” Ziemer said. “In Canada, you know how big of a tournament it is. At the end of the day, it was us versus the world and that's how we looked at it every single day. ... The crowd will be on our side this time, so you welcome that.”
Ziemer will be one of nine returnees from last year’s roster, including fellow Sabres prospect Adam Kleber and a group of NHL draft picks headlined by Cole Hutson (Washington), Cole Eiserman (New York Islanders), and James Hagens (Boston).
Kleber also hails from Ziemer’s hometown of Chaska, where the two were peewee teammates. They shared a special embrace after winning gold at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa as “Free Bird” blared following last year’s championship.
“I got to make a memory with him when that happened, and it was super special,” Ziemer said. “I'm excited to see him again. He's been having a good year, so I’m happy he's on our team, and can't wait to get back with him.”
In fact, three consecutive 2024 Sabres draft picks could play for Team USA as Kleber, Ziemer and defenseman Luke Osburn – who were taken from the second to fourth round, respectively – are at training camp in Duluth, Minnesota until Dec. 24, when the full roster is expected to be announced.
Osburn has a chance to be a key newcomer alongside players like Ziemer’s collegiate teammate LJ Mooney, Will Horcoff and Kamil Bednarik. It’s a group that’s played together on the international stage with the U-17 and U-18 teams, where Ziemer was the captain in 2024.
Ziemer could be primed to wear a letter for the U.S. and said his leadership philosophy during World Juniors is about getting everyone to fully commit to their role. He’s also striving to ensure that everyone has the same goal of winning a historic third straight gold medal.
“Just getting the message across that it's up to us,” Ziemer said. “It's about the 25 guys in that room and it's up to us how we want to represent our country. We’ve got to buy in, everybody's got to fill their role and we’ve got to mesh. We only have a month to do it, so you got to buy in quick.”
