USA Hockey announced the 29 players who will be taking part in their evaluation camp in preparation for the World Junior Championships.
I speculated
last week that the Blue Jackets would have four players invited to camp and low and behold I was correct. Before we look at the Jackets players, a few quick thoughts on the roster.
I was very shocked to see that Leafs second round pick (2015) Jeremy Bracco and Coyotes 5th round pick (2015) Conor Garland were not invited to camp. Bracco was invited to the camp last season, one of just two underage players invited (Austin Matthews the other). Bracco has had a very good season since leaving the NCAA to join the OHL. In 15 games this season he has five goals and 13 assists. Garland led the QMJHL in points last season with 129. He looks primed to repeat as scoring champ as he already has 69 points in just 28 games this season!
Other notable omissions include two 2015 Jets first round picks Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic, and Wild first round pick in 2014 Alex Tuch who made the team last year.
The USA has done a good job at bringing both older and younger players. They are bringing eight players who are draft eligible and 16 who are in their last year of eligibility. They also have a nice mix of skill and size. They have brought both the 5’7 Alex DeBrincat and 6’4 Ryan MacInnis. Regardless of who makes the team this is a very strong pool of players to choose from. The US will enter the WJC as one of the favourites.
Without further ado here are the Blue Jackets who have been invited to the USA World Junior Camp.
Zach Werenski – Defence
Werenski is a lock for Team USA. He was a big part of the team last season and will take on an even bigger role this time around. With Noah Hanifin in the NHL and unlikely to be released by the Hurricanes, Werenski will be the #1 defencemen and will play big minutes in all situations.
Werenski has been excellent in his second year at Michigan. He has 10 points in 13 games which is tops among the teams d-core. Per
College Hockey Inc, Werenski averages 2.92 shots per game which is eighth in the NCAA among all defencemen. What’s even more impressive is that Werenski is still one of the youngest players in the league despite being a sophomore.
He should be in contention for top defencemen at the tournament.
Ryan Collins – Defence
Collins like Werenski is a retuning player. Collins was a minor part of the team last year playing mostly as the seventh defencemen. My best guess would be he plays a top four role this tournament. A lot of it though will depend on what Head Coach Ron Wilson wants in his defencemen.
Collins is a big shutdown defencemen. He provides little to no offence. He has just three assists in 13 games thus far with Minnesota. However, he brings that gritty edge to his game. His 31 penalty minutes tie him for sixth among defencemen.
Sonny Milano – Left Wing
Milano enters camp as one of the most accomplished USA forwards. He's one of just three returning players upfront and the only player to have experience at the AHL level. Milano has 11 points in 22 games in the AHL which at first glance doesn’t seem that impressive. Milano though is one of just nine players under the age of 20 who are playing in that league this season. Most of his peers are still playing NCAA or Major Junior.
Team USA had a very disappointing tournament last season. Milano was a part of that disappointment. He had four points in five games, but was invisible when it mattered most in the quarterfinal game against Russia.
Milano will be expected to be a big part of this year’s team. He should get a chance on the top line alongside Matthews and be a go to player for Wilson. He will be a big part of the power play where he will have extra time and space to wonders with the puck. His speed will be a strength playing on the big ice surface.
Paul Bittner - Left Wing
Bittner is the newcomer among Jackets prospects. He hasn’t had much on an opportunity to play for Team USA as he came up through Major Junior and the WHL. He has represented his country once previously at the Ivan Hlinka tournament in 2013. Bittner had three points in five games. Bittner also has big game experience playing in the Memorial Cup tournament with Portland in 2013. He was only 16 at the time and not a big part of the Hawks but still something he can draw upon as he enters camp.
Bittner will be in tough to make the team. The USA is loaded with talent up front. If Bittner does make the team it will be as bottom six player. Bittner has that great size teams want at 6’4, 205. What may hold him back though will be his lack of offensive upside. He has 20 points in 24 games with Portland which is below average, especially when you consider the amount of skilled players that weren’t invited.
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