Wednesday, July 30, 2014

WJC Candidates Set for Camp

33 NCAA players headed to Lake Placid for USA Hockey Evaluation Camp.


WJC Candidates Set for Camp
Boston College freshmen Alex Tuch (left) and Sonny Milano (right) will be teammates on Team Blue.

Thirty-three NCAA players representing 14 schools will be in attendance this weekend as USA Hockey brings 42 players to Lake Placid, N.Y., for the 2014 National Junior Evaluation Camp.

USA Hockey Announcement

Boston College leads all schools with six representatives, followed closely by Michigan and Minnesota (five each). Denver, Miami, North Dakota, Notre Dame and Yale also have multiple players participating.

The camp, which features practices and games against Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, serves as an audition for the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Toronto and Montreal. At least two NCAA recruits will be featured on the European teams – Finland’s Erik Autio, who is headed to Penn State, and Sweden’s Leon Bristedt, who is will play at Minnesota.

Camp begins Saturday, Aug. 2, with practices and games taking place at the Lake Placid Olympic Center’s USA Rink. On Tuesday, Aug. 5, Team USA will trim its roster to a single squad that will continue camp through Saturday, Aug. 9.

The U.S. players are divided into Team Blue and Team White and will be led by NCAA alums behind both benches. Vermont assistant coach Kevin Patrick (Notre Dame alum) and Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Tony Granato (Wisconsin alum) lead Team Blue, while Boston College assistant Mike Ayers (UNH alum) and Mike Sullivan (BU alum) lead Team White.

Seven players in the camp are returning from the 2014 U.S. National Junior Team, including three of the Boston College Eagles: Thatcher Demko, Ian McCoshen and Steve Santini.

NCAA Players at U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp
Team Blue Team White
Louis Belpedio Miami Mike Brodzinski Minnesota
Anders Bjork Notre Dame Will Butcher Denver
Taylor Cammarata Minnesota Connor Clifton Quinnipiac
Michael Downing Michigan Ryan Collins Minnesota
Jack Eichel Boston University J.T. Compher Michigan
Anthony Florentino Providence Kyle Connor Michigan
John Hayden Yale Evan Cowley Denver
Dylan Larkin Michigan Thatcher Demko Boston College
Vinny Lettieri Minnesota Jack Dougherty Wisconsin
Sean Malone Harvard Hudson Fasching Minnesota
Ian McCoshen Boston College Ryan Hitchcock Yale
Sonny Milano Boston College Connor Hurley Notre Dame
Tyler Motte Michigan Clint Lewis Cornell
Austin Poganski North Dakota Anthony Louis Miami
Steve Santini Boston College Auston Matthews Uncommitted
Alex Tuch Boston College Scott Savage Boston College
Nick Schmaltz North Dakota