USA Hockey announces World Junior camp invites
By @MichaelCaples –
USA Hockey announced today the players they are inviting to their World Junior camp, which serves as the final tryout for the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto.
Here is a look at the Michigan names invited to the camp:
Forwards
Dylan Larkin
Waterford, Mich.
University of Michigan (Big Ten)
Wolverines freshman forward Dylan Larkin is no stranger to wearing the Red, White and Blue; the Waterford native spent two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program before moving on to the NCAA. A Belle Tire product, Larkin will have Hockeytown’s attention this holiday season – he was the Red Wings’ first-round pick this past summer. Larkin has 12 points in his first 13 college hockey games.
JT Compher
Northbrook, Ill.
University of Michigan (Big Ten)
JT Compher skated at Comerica Park last December in the outdoor edition of the Great Lakes Invitational, but that only happened because of a foot injury sustained at the World Juniors camp. This year, expect the Wolverines standout and NTDP alum to stick around, and don the Red, White and Blue instead of the Maize and Blue for holiday hockey. The Buffalo Sabres draft pick has three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 13 games this season.
Tyler Motte
St. Clair, Mich.
University of Michigan (Big Ten)
Chicago Blackhawks draftee Tyler Motte was the last cut for Team USA at last year’s World Juniors camp – hard to imagine that happens again. The NTDP alum and Wolverines star forward already has 10 points in 13 games this season, putting him on pace to break his rookie mark of 18 points in 34 games.
Sonny Milano
Massapequa, N.Y.
Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
NTDP alum Sonny Milano hasn’t let a preseason facial injury slow down his 2014-15 season; the Plymouth Whalers forward has 24 points in 15 games. Milano, a Columbus Blue Jackets first-round pick, figures to be a key contributor to the Team USA roster for the World Juniors tournament.
Michael McCarron
Macomb, Mich.
London Knights (OHL)
Macomb native Michael McCarron is thriving in his second OHL season; the London Knights forward has 26 points in 17 games after only 34 all of last season. The NTDP alum stands at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds – a big power forward the Americans might like to have in international competition.
Defensemen
Zach Werenski
Grosse Pointe, Mich.
University of Michigan (Big Ten)
The whirlwind season for Zach Werenski continues – the 17-year-old freshman defenseman for the Wolverines will be skating with the top players in the country at the World Juniors camp. Werenski, who graduated a year early to enroll at UM, has 10 points in 13 games during his freshman season, and he holds a +11 rating. No surprise that he’s talked about as a elite 2015 NHL Draft prospect.
Michael Downing
Canton, Mich.
University of Michigan (Big Ten)
Wolverines sophomore defenseman Michael Downing has been an anchor for a young UM blue line this year. The Detroit Catholic Central and USHL alum currently has six points in 13 games,and Downing’s eating up a lot of minutes while a fresh crop of defensemen adjust to the NCAA game.
Goaltenders
Alex Nedeljkovic
Parma, Ohio
Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
Carolina Hurricanes draftee and OHL goaltender of the year Alex Nedeljkovic will be battling Boston College goaltender Thatcher Demko for the Team USA starting role at camp. The Belle Tire and Metro Jets alum has represented his country on the international stage before, and it is expected that he will do so once again this holiday season.
Brandon Halverson
Traverse City, Mich.
Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
A New York Rangers draftee, Brandon Halverson is making a name for himself in the OHL circles. Right now, the Traverse City native has a 14-3-1 record for the Soo Greyhounds, after setting a 12-6-1 last year. Looks like the Blueshirts made the right call when they took him in the second round last summer.