The 2017 World Junior Championships will feature talent aplenty of the Boston University variety.
Seven members of the Terriers’ men’s hockey team will play in late December and early January’s collection of the world’s best junior hockey talent, which will take place in Montreal and Toronto. Team Canada will feature freshman defenseman Dante Fabbro, while Team USA boasts freshman goaltender Jake Oettinger, sophomore defenseman Charlie McAvoy, sophomore forward Jordan Greenway and freshmen forwards Patrick Harper, Kieffer Bellows and Clayton Keller.
Freshman defenseman Chad Krys, who played in 2016’s World Junior tournament, was the last cut for Team USA. McAvoy also made last year’s competition, which was held in Finland, and will serve as an alternate captain for the 2017 group.
These seven members of head coach David Quinn’s squad have long featured for their respective national teams, with Keller arguably being the most notable. The former member of the U.S. National Team Development Program broke the career record for points with 189 on 71 goals and 118 assists. In a similar vein, Bellows’ 50 goals led the U.S. National Under-18 Team in 2015-16.
Oettinger, in also playing for the NTDP last year, posted a 2.38 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. As for the sophomore contingent, McAvoy and Greenway both claimed a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF Under-18 World Championships. Harper has the least national team experience, as he had a brief stint with the U.S. National Under-17 Team in 2014-15. Lastly, Fabbro starred for Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship.
All that talent will first be on display when the tournament opens on Dec. 26. It will wrap up on Jan. 5 with medal games.
Here is Team USA’s schedule for the tournament’s group stage:
- Dec. 26 vs. Latvia; 3:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
- Dec. 28 vs. Slovakia; 7:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
- Dec. 29 vs. Russia; 3:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
- Dec. 31 vs. Canada; 3:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
Here is Team Canada’s schedule for the tournament’s group stage:
- Dec. 26 vs. Russia; 8 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
- Dec. 28 vs. Latvia; 8 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
- Dec. 29 vs. Slovakia; 8 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
- Dec. 31 vs. USA; 3:30 p.m. at the Air Canada Centre
Click here for Team USA’s full roster, and here for Team Canada’s full roster.
I’m excited for the guys that made the team. I’m concerned the best goalie got no pre tournament action. Jake deserves to be the starter. As for cutting someone on Christmas Eve I think it stinks. They did it to Grizz in ufa Russia a few years ago. It puts a sour taste in my mouth. Chad is a great player who was very loyal to the USA program. I have my doubts about the leadership of USA hockey and this coach. I don’t like saying it but you never see controversy like this on team Canada. I don’t buy into all the hype from evaluators of USA hockey find me a coach who is a proven winner and let him pick the team. Not the start to this tournament I was looking for.
If Team USA plays in the championship game Friday Jan 5th do the BU players stay and play or do they go home to play for BU whom also have a game Jan 5th..
They’ll stay and play the USA game. A shame from a BU perspective, but these kids work their whole lives for the chance to play in something like a medal game at the World Junior Championships.
BU will likely be shorthanded against Union on Jan. 5 with six defensemen and 11 forwards.