Team USA head coach Ron Wilson readily admits he doesn't know much about Team Russia. "I don't know anybody," he said unabashedly. "I couldn't tell you any players on the Russian team." How could this be the case? "Because I don't know them! Do you know any of the Russian players? Do you?" Wilson asked reporters rhetorically. "No. And I'm in the same boat." Is he planning to do some research? "No, I'm not. We play with our team and that's what I'm going to trust. I'm going to trust our team to get the job done." Wilson did say he expects Russia to play a similar style to the Czech Republic and that goaltending will probably be the deciding factor in the game. The Americans have the best team save percentage in the tournament (.959) while Russia is third (.915). 

While Wilson doesn't know much about Monday's semi-final opponent, there appears to be just as much mystery on the other side. Russian forward Radel Fazleev had this to say about Auston Matthews: "I heard about him a couple times. I heard that he's a really good player and will get drafted pretty high, but I don't know who he is, actually." Fazleyev said the only American player he has some familiarity with is Sonny Milano, who he played against at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Does Fazleyev know of Ron Wilson? "No, not really."

Matthews scored three goals in the quarterfinals and now leads the tournament with seven overall. That leaves him just one behind Jeremy Roenick (eight in 1989 while playing with Mike Modano and John LeClair) for the American single-tournament World Juniors record. "I've been very impressed," Wilson said. "Right from the get-go, this summer, he was our best player and I only hoped that my coaching wouldn't hinder any of his play and so far it hasn't. He's been exemplary." For his part, Matthews said he's focused on one thing and one thing only: a gold medal. "It would mean everything," the favourite to be picked first overall in the 2016 NHL draft said. "That's the goal. That's what we came over here for. We didn't come over here to score a bunch of points and stuff like that. We came over here to win a gold medal. We're playing well right now and peaking at the right time."

There's no denying the chemistry between Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk. "He's such a smart player and he loves to get into it and work so hard," said Matthews. "He's one of my best friends so it's been pretty fun." Matthews said Tkachuk's pesky style of play opens up space for him. "He knows that fine line," Matthews said. "That's just part of his game. That's what makes him effective." Tkachuk said the chemistry between the two was evident right from the moment they started playing together. "It was one of those things where we just kind of moved it well together from the start and I'd give it to him where I'd know he'd want it. We talked a bit about what his tendencies were (and we could) just give and go throughout the whole ice. Our biggest thing last year and throughout this tournament is when we're two on one, we're really dynamic together."

Tkachuk's pesky antics apparently carry over off the ice. "He loves to stir the pot with guys on the team and get people going," said Matthews, who claims Tkachuk has never gotten under his skin. "No, he can't, it's impossible. We're roommates so he always tries to nudge me, but it's usually him and (London teammate Christian) Dvorak going at it."

Alex DeBrincat practised as the 13th forward on Sunday one day after returning to the lineup and scoring a late goal in a blowout win over the Czechs. "I had a few shifts," said DeBrincat, who sustained an upper-body injury in the second game of the preliminary round. "I felt really good, actually. Hopefully, I can get back in the normal swing of things. That's what I'm going for right now." DeBrincat leads the OHL with 33 goals in 30 games and started the World Juniors on a line with Matthews and Tkachuk. "I'm spotting him here and there and he's a valuable piece, but I'm not going to disrupt the chemistry of our top line by putting him back in there," said Wilson. "He's just got to take whatever ice I give him and be ready. Against the Czechs, he was really good with that and there were no complaints on our bench. He was, I don't want to say the ultimate professional, but that's how he acted." DeBrincat admits the start of the tournament was "really tough" – he was ejected from the opening game against Canada for spearing Travis Konecny in the first period – but insists it's easy to stay upbeat. "I didn't play too much in the quarterfinals, but that's fine," DeBrincat said. "It doesn't matter as long as we're winning. I'll just be there to motivate the guys. That's my role right now."

Ottawa Senators prospect Colin White has fit in well with Matthews and Tkachuk since being elevated to that position in the game against the Swiss. "He's a big body, who can skate, forecheck and play a kind of ugly game, which that line really needs," Wilson said. "They need someone who's also going to dig in the corner for the puck. Since they've been together they've really dominated the games."

The Americans have been eliminated by the Russians the last two years and this year's group wants to exact some revenge. "It's huge," said Tkachuk. "We know Russia has knocked us out the last two years and we're really looking to change that." Russia has actually beaten Team USA in three straight world juniors, including a preliminary round win in Ufa. Tkachuk believes his team has been underestimated from the start of this year's event. "Everyone in that locker room wants to prove the whole world wrong."

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Team USA lineup:

Tkachuk-Matthews-White
Milano-Dvorak-Bjork
Hitchcock-Schmaltz-Boeser
Donato-MacInnis-Eansor
DeBrincat 

Werenski-Carlo
Belpedio-Borgen
Krys-McAvoy
Fortunato

Nedeljkovic
Halverson