Trio of BU freshmen named to World Juniors preliminary roster

By Scott McLaughlin/DFP Staff

Boston University freshman defenseman Adam Clendening and freshman forwards Charlie Coyle and Matt Nieto have all been named to the United States’ preliminary roster for this year’s World Junior Championship in Buffalo, where the US will aim to defend its gold medal from a year ago.

A total of 29 players were named to the preliminary roster, meaning seven more will need to be cut before the tournament opener against Finland on Dec. 26. Coach Keith Allain, who has led Yale to the top of the national polls this season, will have camp and three exhibition games before then to evaluate his players.

Coyle and Clendening, who is from nearby Niagara Falls, N.Y., should be locks to make the team. Coyle, a first-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, is one of the few natural centers on the roster and will likely anchor one of the team’s top two lines.

Clendening’s chances of playing in the tournament appeared to be in jeopardy two weekends ago when he had to be carried off the ice after a knee-on-knee hit by Brown’s Harry Zolnierczyk, but he returned to the game a few minutes later and BU coach Jack Parker declared him “100 percent” healthy last week. Clendening has plenty of experience in international tournaments. He helped lead the US to back-to-back World Under-18 Championship titles, tying for the team lead in points and being named to the all-tournament team in 2010. In February, he was named the top defenseman at the Six Nations Cup.

Nieto, who played with Clendening on those back-to-back championship teams, is on the bubble. He will likely need to be outstanding in camp and the exhibition games to make the final cut.

Any Terriers selected for the team will miss the Shillelagh Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill., on Jan. 1 and 2.

Six other Hockey East players made the preliminary roster. Boston College will send four players to camp — sophomore forward Chris Kreider and sophomore defensemen Brian Dumoulin, Philip Samuelsson and Patrick Wey. Kreider was on the team last year and he and Dumoulin should have no problem making the team. Samuelsson and Wey appear to be on the outside looking in, though.

Northeastern freshman defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and Vermont freshman forward Connor Brickley also made it to the final cut, but both would be surprise picks for the final roster.

Others in the blogosphere have taken a stab at predicting the final roster, so I’ve decided to give it a shot myself. Only two goalies made the preliminary roster, so that position’s easy to pick. The seven cuts will most likely be three d-men (to give the team seven) and four forwards (to give the team 13). Without further ado, here are my picks to make the final cut (in alphabetical order):

Goalies
Jack Campbell (Windsor Spitfires/OHL)
Andy Iles (Cornell/ECAC)

Defense
Adam Clendening (Boston University/HE)
Brian Dumoulin (Boston College/HE)
Justin Faulk (Minnesota-Duluth/WCHA)
Derek Forbort (North Dakota/WCHA)
Nick Leddy (Rockford IceHogs/AHL)
Jon Merrill (Michigan/CCHA)
John Ramage (Wisconsin/WCHA)

Forwards
Ryan Bourque (Quebec Remparts/QMJHL)
Chris Brown (Michigan/CCHA)
Mitch Callahan (Kelowna Rockets/WHL)
Charlie Coyle (Boston University/HE)
Jerry D’Amigo (Toronto Marlies/AHL)
Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat Tigers/WHL)
Rocco Grimaldi (US Under-18 Team)
Chris Kreider (Boston College/HE)
Jeremy Morin (Rockford IceHogs/AHL)
Kyle Palmieri (Syracuse Crunch/AHL)
Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit/OHL)
Drew Shore (Denver/WCHA)
Jason Zucker (Denver/WCHA)