Garland, Robertson headline USA Hockey's roster for world championships

Arizona Coyotes right wing Conor Garland (83) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild in the third period during an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Glendale, Ariz. (Rick Scuteri/AP)

Two of the NHL's breakout stars from the 2020-21 season will lead USA Hockey at the upcoming world championships in Riga, Latvia.

The organization announced Thursday that Conor Garland of the Arizona Coyotes and rookie sensation Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars will be among the 26 players in stars and stripes at the May 21-June 6 event.

"We’re excited with the roster we have and look forward to the world championship," said Chris Drury, general manager of the 2021 U.S. men's national team and the president and GM of the New York Rangers, in a press release.

"It’s a unique year and we appreciate the dedication and commitment of everyone. We really like our team and our goal, like every other team our country puts on the ice, is to bring home a gold medal."

Robertson, 21, exploded onto the scene in Dallas, putting up 45 points in 51 games to trail only Kirill Kaprizov in rookie scoring.

Garland, meanwhile, has tied his career-high in points (39) in 19 fewer games than last season, when he set that mark as a sophomore in the NHL.

The pair will also be joined by Michigan University centre Matthew Beniers, who was second in Sam Cosentino's latest 2021 NHL Draft prospect rankings, and veterans Brian Boyle and Justin Abdelkader, who failed to find an NHL home during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.

The full roster can be found here.

The U.S., which has medalled in three of the last seven world championships, will be led by Ottawa Senators assistant coach Jack Capuano.

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