Will Bent, Ryan Poirier selected for 2024 U17 Five Nations Team

When the puck drops on the 2024 Five Nations tournament in mid-August, two New Englanders will represent their country.

Forward Will Bent (Dover, Mass.) and defenseman Ryan Poirier (Salem, N.H.) earned spots on the U.S. U17 team that will take on Slovakia, Czecha, Germany and Switzerland.

The tournament will be in Piestany, Slovakia, from Aug. 14-18.

Both players were selected from USA Hockey's Select 16 Camp, held from July 9-15 at the Northtown Center in Amherst, N.Y.

Bent entered the showcase as one of the more highly regarded forwards among the '08s. He tallied 51 goals and 93 points in 58 games for Mount St. Charles 15U squad this season. That was the biggest reason he was invited to the U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp.

While he didn't make the team, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward was a force at Select 16 Camp, scoring four goals and finishing with seven points in six games.

Poirier notched an assist over his six games at Select 16 Camp, but that doesn't come close to reflecting the defender's impact. At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Poirier is a two-way force who impacts the game primarily with his strong skating and edgework. He also is super physical, never shying away from taking the body to separate opposing forwards from the puck.

SELECT 17s: 10 standouts, takeaways from the New England District at Select 17 Camp | 12 standouts, takeaways from the Massachusetts District at Select 17 Camp

At Kent this winter, Poirier posted five goals and 13 points in 28 games, helping the Lions to a Large School championship.

Another player who moves onto Five Nations with local connections is Joseph Salandra. The Pleasantville, N.Y., native played for Mid Fairfield's 15O team this past winter, scoring 57 goals and totaling 104 points. He led the Select 16 Camp in goals (8) and points (13).

The team is coached by Joe Bonnett. One of Bonnett's assistants is Joe Howe. While Howe is from Plymouth, Minn., he's an assistant coach at Yale. Team physician Dennis Sullivan is from Portland, Maine.

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