USA Hockey announced Monday its preliminary roster for the 2021 world juniors, boasting the likes of top prospects Jake Sanderson, Cole Caufield and Nick Robertson.
“We have a talented group and we’ll have some tough decisions to make,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the 2021 U.S. national junior team, in a press release.
“We continue to benefit from a deep player pool, and that’s credit to all of the organizations and volunteers developing the next wave of American talent.”
The 29 players will audition for the final 25-player roster at training camp in Plymouth, Mich., starting Dec. 6. The final list will be announced on Dec. 13 prior to the tournament, which is set to take place in Edmonton from Dec. 25 to Jan. 5.
Sanderson, a rangy puck-moving defenceman, was the fifth pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft. Caufield, a diminutive sniper, was selected by the Montreal Canadiens 15th overall in 2019. Robertson (53rd overall in 2019) torched the OHL before making his debut in the 2019-20 NHL playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Other notable names include: goalie Spencer Knight (Florida Panthers), goalie Dustin Wolf (Calgary Flames), forward Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings), forward Alex Turcotte (Kings) and Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks).
The full group of players invited to camp can be found here.
