COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Nine of the 30 players named to the preliminary U.S. world junior roster come from the Canadian Hockey League, and it’s likely the final team will have significant influence from there.
Forwards Michael McCarron (OHL London), Sonny Milano (OHL Plymouth), Chase DeLeo (WHL Portland), Cole Cassels (OHL Oshawa) and Adam Erne (QMJHL Quebec), defencemen Anthony DeAngelo (OHL Sarnia) and Brandon Carlo (WHL Tri-City) and goaltenders Brandon Halverson (OHL Sault Ste Marie) and Alex Nedeljkovic (Plymouth) will attend the Dec. 16-19 camp in Boston.
Centre Jack Eichel from Boston University and defenceman Noah Hanifin from Boston College, who are expected to be picked just behind Connor McDavid in next year’s NHL draft, are shoo-ins to make the team, barring injury.
Boston College goaltender Thatcher Demko, a second-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, will also be at the camp.
The six-foot-five 245-pound McCarron was the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round pick in 2013. Cassels was picked in the third round in 2013 by the Canucks, and DeLeo went in the fourth round to the Winnipeg Jets this year.
Canada has just two 2015 draft-eligible players (McDavid, Kingston’s Lawson Crouse) among the 29 players coming to next week’s camp in Toronto. The United States has five: Eichel, Hanifin, Carlo, Zach Werenski and Jeremy Bracco.
The Americans also have one 2016 draft-eligible player on their preliminary roster: forward Auston Matthews.
Canada plays the U.S. in Montreal on Dec. 31.
