Four New England natives and five additional players with ties to the region will represent the United States at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, it was announced Monday.
USA Hockey unveiled its final roster the annual U-20 tournament that begins December 26, 2019 in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic.
Northeastern sophomore defenseman Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.), Boston College freshman goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.), Providence freshman center Parker Ford (Wakefield, R.I.), and New York Islanders right wing Oliver Wahlstrom (Yarmouth, Maine) are the four New Englanders on the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team.
Ford, who played the past two seasons for Sioux City Musketeers, has six goals and eight assists in 17 games this season for the Friars. He played full-season midget hockey at South Kent Selects Academy.
Harris has taken a major step offensively in his second season at Northeastern. The Kimball Union alum has three goals and 10 assists in the first 18 games this season after totaling just 13 points in all of his freshman season. Harris was taken in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
Knight, selected by the Florida Panthers with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, is the presumed starting goaltender for the Americans. The Mid Fairfield Rangers, Avon Old Farms and U.S. NTDP alum has a .940 save percentage in 15 games for Boston College.
Wahlstrom is somewhat of a surprise selection as USA Hockey had to wait until the Islanders loaned him for this tournament. The 11th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft has zero points in nine games with the parent club while totaling three goals and six assists with Bridgeport, the AHL affiliate.
Boston Bruins first round pick Johnny Beecher of the University of Michigan, Harvard sophomore center Jack Drury, Yale sophomore center and Boston Bruins fourth round pick Curtis Hall, UMass freshman defenseman Zac Jones, former South Kent Selects Academy star Shane Pinto of the University of North Dakota, and Boston University center Trevor Zegras are the five players with ties to the New England region.
Notes
- Three South Kent Selects Academy alums, Ford, Jones, and Pinto, made the U.S. National Junior Team. That speaks volumes for the job Devin Rask and Matt Plante, now both at Mount Saint Charles, do in developing talent for the next level.
- Next up is Avon Old Farms, who helped produce two players on this year's U.S. entry: Knight and Zegras.
- In addition, Beecher played at Salisbury, Harris skated at Kimball Union, and Wahlstrom laced up the skates for North Yarmouth Academy.
- While Boston College and Boston University have typically dominated the representation locally, it's interesting to note the diversity this season. The Eagles and Terriers both have a player on the U.S. National Junior Team, but so do five other colleges in the region. Harvard, Northeastern, Providence, UMass and Yale join the two perennial powers in having a player on this year's U.S. team at the World Junior Championship.
- Buffalo Sabres prospect and Western Michigan sophomore defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will serve as captain for USA Hockey. Alternates are Wisconsin sophomore defenseman and New York Rangers draft pick K'Andre Miller and Harvard's Drury.
- USA Hockey will be going for its fifth straight medal in the event. Last year, the U.S. came away with the Silver Medal. Gold Medal at this event has gone to the Americans in 2004, 2010, 2013 and 2017.
