USA not looking ahead in world junior championships

• Coach Phil Housley says how USA handles Germany will indicate how it does in tournament
• Americans will face Russia on Friday and Canada on Sunday
• Housley says goaltending and defense are the team's strengths

Coach Phil Housley's Christmas story for his U.S. national junior team essentially would be the cautionary tale about how if you spend too much time worrying about the bear and the wolf you can end up getting bit by the bobcat.

"I think personally we cannot overlook Germany," Housley said. "That's a big game for us, and I think that will indicate how we will do the rest of the tournament."

The Americans are in the same pool with Russia and Canada at the World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia, and much of the pre-tournament chatter was about how the USA will fare against those powerhouses. But before the Americans play Russia on Friday and Canada on Sunday, they must play their first game against Germany on Thursday (9 a.m., NHL Network).

"Russia and Canada historically and traditionally have very, very good teams," Housley said. "You can see that in Russia's recent success, and Canada's overall depth is always great. They will always be in the hunt."

The USA received good news on Christmas when it was determined that defenseman Connor Murphy is healthy enough to play after suffering a minor injury in a pre-tournament game. The final roster decision comes down to deciding between Windsor Spitfires defenseman Patrick Sieloff (Calgary Flames) and Boston University defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (Boston Bruins).

Murphy, a Phoenix Coyotes first-round draft pick, is the son of former NHL defenseman Gord Murphy. He will play in USA's top two defensive pairings.

The WJC has always been considered a preview of coming attractions for NHL fans. The top players in this tournament often mature into NHL stars. For example, USA's top defenseman Seth Jones could go first or second in the 2013 NHL draft.

"When I look at our leadership group as a whole, I really like what we have," Housley said.

The American roster includes New York Rangers' first rounder J.T. Miller, who is already playing for the Connecticut Whale in the American Hockey League, plus Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba, the ninth pick in last year's draft. Anaheim Ducks second-rounder John Gibson is the team's likely No. 1 goaltender.

"I think our strength is goaltending and defense, and I think we are going to have to really rely on that," Housley said.

Housley has been preaching for his players to stay out of the penalty box after watching the USA lose 5-1 to Finland in a tuneup game by giving up three power-play goals in the third period.

"It's tough when you are killing penalties because it's sucking the energy out of our players who are defending," Housley said. "But I think we can have some balance up front. We can have three scoring lines ... and I think we have some good energy and grit up front."

The Americans fell into the relegation round last year but won medals the two years before that.