Tuesday, November 17, 2015
19 Commits to Lead U.S. in WJAC
Team of stars from USHL includes recruits committed to 14 Division I programs.
Nineteen players committed to attend 14 Division I programs have been named to the U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete in the 2015 World Junior A Challenge, set for Dec. 13-19 in Whitby, Ontario, USA Hockey announced Tuesday.
Miami, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Providence and St. Cloud State each have a pair of future players set to represent the team, which is made up entirely of players from the USHL. Nine other schools have recruits on the roster.
USHL Release | NCAA Commitments | WJAC Home Page
This is the tenth year of the World Junior A Challenge and ninth time that the United States will send a team to the Under-20 event. The United States, annually made up of players from the USHL, has earned a medal in each of the previous eight tournaments, including winning gold six times (2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008). They have won 30 of the 35 games they have played in the event, and are currently on a 13-game win streak.
The event, which will also feature the Czech Republic, Russia, Switzerland and two teams from Canada, produces numerous future NCAA stars. Current freshmen like Michigan’s Kyle Connor, North Dakota’s Brock Boeser and New Hampshire’s Marcus Vela were among the participants in the event last season.
USA Hockey plans to name one more defenseman and one more goaltender to the final roster.
2015 U.S. Junior Select Team
| Pos. | Name | USHL Team | NCAA Team |
| G | Kris Oldham | Omaha | Omaha |
| D | Jack Ahcan | Cedar Rapids | St. Cloud State |
| D | John Marino | Tri-City | Harvard |
| D | Andrew Peeke | Green Bay | Notre Dame |
| D | Mitch Reinke | Cedar Rapids | Michigan Tech |
| D | Spenser Young | Dubuque | Providence |
| D | Ryan Zuhlsdorf | Sioux City | Minnesota |
| F | Callahan Burke | Cedar Rapids | Notre Dame |
| F | Ross Colton | Cedar Rapids | Vermont |
| F | Grant Jozefek | Lincoln | Northeastern |
| F | William Knierim | Dubuque | Miami |
| F | Tanner Laczynski | Chicago | Ohio State |
| F | Carson Meyer | Tri-City | Miami |
| F | Chase Pearson | Youngstown | Maine |
| F | Liam Pecararo | Waterloo | |
| F | Colin Peters | Sioux Falls | Northern Michigan |
| F | Rem Pitlick | Muskegon | Minnesota |
| F | Jake Whalin | Tri-City | St. Cloud State |
| F | Josh Wilkins | Sioux City | Providence |
| F | Max Zimmer | Chicago | Wisconsin |