Thursday, December 7, 2017

Recruits Set for WJAC

Nearly half of all Division I teams have a commit in tournament.


Recruits Set for WJAC
Connecticut commit Carter Turnbull, who ranks third in the BCHL with 18 goals, will play for Canada West at the WJAC (Photo by Garrett James Photography).

Dozens of future NCAA stars will be in action as the World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) opens Sunday in Truro, Nova Scotia, showcasing players committed to 29 different Division I schools.

The WJAC features six teams – two from Canada and one each from the U.S., Czech Republic, Russia and Switzerland.

The Canadian teams are all-star groups from the 10 leagues in the CJHL and together feature 28 players already committed to Division I schools. The U.S. team features the top American-born players from the USHL, with all 22 players on the roster committed to schools.

All six Division I conferences and independent Arizona State have recruits participating in the WJAC. St. Cloud State and Yale lead all schools with four recruits each participating in the tournament. Seven schools have commits playing on two WJAC teams: Clarkson, Denver, UMass Lowell, Princeton, Western Michigan, Wisconsin and Yale.

With such a high level of competition, the WJAC can be a launching point for future stars. Massachusetts freshman and Colorado Avalanche first-round draft pick Cale Makar (Calgary, Alta./Brooks-AJHL/COL) made a big impression in the 2016 WJAC. Joining Makar on the all-tournament team were current Northeastern goaltender Cayden Primeau (Voorhees, N.J./Lincoln-USHL/MTL) and Minnesota Duluth forward Nick Swaney (Lakeville, Minn./Waterloo-USHL/MIN).

The schedule features two preliminary-round games for each team, followed by quarterfinals on Wednesday and semifinals on Thursday. The gold medal game is set for Saturday, Dec. 16.

Canada East
No. Name Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
1 Noah Battaglia G Milton (OJHL)  
4 Cade Townend D Carleton Place (CCHL)  
5 Mason Snell D Wellington (OJHL) Penn State
6 Tim Theocharidis D Carleton Place (CCHL) Bowling Green
7 Joey Maziarz D North York (OJHL)  
8 Matthew Kellenberger D Oakville (OJHL) Princeton
9 Nick Campoli F North York (OJHL) Clarkson
10 Derek Dicaire F Valleyfield (LHJQ)  
11 Connor MacEachern F Cobourg (OJHL) Robert Morris
12 Mac Lowry F Cobourg (OJHL)  
14 Ben Evans F Wellington (OJHL)  
15 Colin Doyle F Wellington (OJHL)  
16 Zachary Tupker F Carleton Place (CCHL) Cornell
17 Colton Kalezic F Toronto Patriots (OJHL)  
18 Anthony Romano F Aurora (OJHL) Clarkson
19 Jack McBain F Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) Boston College
20 Francis Thibeault D Campbellton (MHL)  
21 Logan Johnston F Edmundston (MHL)  
22 Jeff Clarke D Oakville (OJHL) St. Lawrence
23 Finn Evans F Ottawa (CCHL) Princeton
24 Aidan Girduckis D Carleton Place (CCHL) Robert Morris
31 Jett Alexander G North York (OJHL)  

Canada West
No. Name Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
1 Zach Rose G Victoria (BCHL)  
2 Seth Barton D Trail (BCHL) UMass Lowell
3 Jarrod Gourley D Spruce Grove (AJHL) Arizona State
4 Jacob Bernard-Docker D Okotoks (AJHL) North Dakota
6 Jonny Tychonick D Penticton (BCHL) North Dakota
7 T.J. Lloyd D Spruce Grove (AJHL)  
8 Levi Kleiboer D Battlefords (SJHL) Maine
9 Angus Crookshank F Langley (BCHL) New Hampshire
10 Ethan de Jong F Prince George (BCHL) Quinnipiac
11 Brendan Budy F Langley (BCHL) Denver
12 Harrison Blaisdell F Chilliwack (BCHL) North Dakota
14 Riese Gaber F Steinbach (MJHL) Western Michigan
15 Rylan Van Unen F Merritt (BCHL)  
16 Dylan Holloway F Okotoks (AJHL) Wisconsin
17 Brett Stapley F Vernon (BCHL) Denver
18 Carter Turnbull F Powell River (BCHL) Connecticut
19 Corey Andonovski F Chilliwack (BCHL) Princeton
20 Ross Armour F Trail (BCHL) Bemidji State
22 Chrystopher Collin F Flin Flon (SJHL)  
23 Kyle Johnson F Prince George (BCHL) Yale
24 Ryan O’Connell D Penticton (BCHL) Boston University
31 Mitch Adamyk G Powell River (BCHL)  

United States
No. Name Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
1 Jake Kucharski G Des Moines (USHL) Providence
2 Christian Krygier D Lincoln (USHL) Wisconsin
5 Chase Blackmun D Cedar Rapids (USHL) UMass Lowell
6 Jack St. Ivany D Sioux Falls (USHL) Yale
7 Graham Lillibridge D Chicago (USHL) Yale
8 Clayton Phillips D Muskegon (USHL) Minnesota
9 Jack Drury F Waterloo (USHL) Harvard
10 Tyler Madden F Central Illinois (USHL) Northeastern
11 Sam Hentges F Des Moines (USHL) St. Cloud State
12 Jack Dugan F Chicago (USHL) Providence
14 Nick Perbix D Omaha (USHL) St. Cloud State
15 Nathan Smith F Cedar Rapids (USHL) Minnesota State
16 Blake McLaughlin F Chicago (USHL) Minnesota
17 Paul Cotter F Lincoln (USHL) Western Michigan
18 Brendan Bushy D Dubuque (USHL) St. Cloud State
19 Cole Guttman F Dubuque (USHL) Denver
20 Curtis Hall F Youngstown (USHL) Yale
21 Alex Steeves F Dubuque (USHL) Notre Dame
22 Graham Slaggert F Cedar Rapids (USHL) Notre Dame
23 Nolan Walker F Sioux Falls (USHL) St. Cloud State
24 Jack Randl F Omaha (USHL) Michigan
30 Ryan Bischel G Fargo (USHL) Clarkson