Friday, December 7, 2018

WJAC Showcases Future Stars

Tournament showcases top USHL, CJHL talent.


WJAC Showcases Future Stars
Dustyn McFaul, a Boston Bruins draft pick, is one of four Clarkson commits at the WJAC (Photo via OJHL Images).

Dozens of the top players in the USHL and CJHL have gathered in Bonnyville, Alta., where the World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) will take place Dec. 9-16.

Among the participants are 52 NCAA Division I commits headed to 32 schools, meaning that more than half of all Division I teams have a recruit participating in the WJAC. Connecticut freshman goaltender Tomas Vomacka is also on the Czech Republic roster.

Tournament Web Site | USA Hockey Coverage

The five-team event includes entries from the United States, the Czech Republic, Russia and two teams from Canada (East and West). The teams play a round-robin, followed by semifinals and medal games.

The U.S. roster is comprised of 22 USHL players. Team USA has won the WJAC seven times in 12 appearances, including four of the last six years. Tri-City Storm head coach Anthony Noreen is the U.S. head coach. USA Hockey’s director of junior hockey, Marc Boxer, is the U.S. general manager.

“I like that we have a lot of guys who can play anywhere in the lineup,” said Boxer. “Everybody plays on the power play [on their USHL team] and kills penalties. They’re obviously top players on their teams, so I think we have a very versatile group. I think in years past, we had some guys who were higher-end draft picks. A lot of these guys are going to emerge and surprise people in a big way.”

The Canadian rosters are made up of players from the CJHL, which includes the 10 junior A leagues across the country. The CCHL and OJHL dominate the Canada East roster, while the BCHL and AJHL are home to most of Canada West. Both rosters include a number of NCAA commits and others who may get college opportunities thanks to their performance at the WJAC.

North Dakota leads the 32 schools with recruits in the tournament with six – three on Canada West and three on the United States. Clarkson and Penn State both have four recruits taking part, while Denver has three.

All six conferences and independent Arizona State have committed recruits in the tournament.

HockeyTV will be streaming the games.

NCAA Commits in World Junior A Challenge
Canada East
Player Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
Liam Souliere G Brockville (CCHL) Penn State
Simon Mack D Brockville (CCHL) Penn State
Tyler McBay D Brockville (CCHL) Penn State
Dustyn McFaul D Pickering (OJHL) Clarkson
Cade Townend D Carleton Place (CCHL) Mercyhurst
John Beaton F Kemptville (CCHL) Rensselaer
Eric Ciccolini F Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) Michigan
Ty Glover F Buffalo (OJHL) Western Michigan
Spencer Kersten F Oakville (OJHL) Princeton
Riley McCutcheon F Cobourg (OJHL) Vermont
Ryland Mosley F Carleton Place (CCHL) Alabama Huntsville

Canada West
Player Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
Layton Ahac D Prince George (BCHL) Ohio State
Luke Bast D Brooks (AJHL) North Dakota
Carter Berger D Victoria (BCHL) Connecticut
Jack Judson D Vernon (BCHL) Arizona State
T.J. Lloyd D Spruce Grove (AJHL) Bowling Green
Mason Snell D Penticton (BCHL) Penn State
Harrison Blaisdell F Chilliwack (BCHL) North Dakota
Alexander Campbell F Victoria (BCHL) Clarkson
Mathieu Gosselin F Merritt (BCHL) Clarkson
Dylan Holloway F Okotoks (AJHL) Wisconsin
Riley Hughes F Victoria (BCHL) Northeastern
Ethan Leyh F Langley (BCHL) Wisconsin
Alex Newhook F Victoria (BCHL) Boston College
Matt Osadick F Swan Valley (MJHL) Maine
Massimo Rizzo F Penticton (BCHL) North Dakota
David Silye F Penticton (BCHL) Clarkson
Alex Swetlikoff F Vernon (BCHL) Denver
Austin Wong F Okotoks (AJHL) Harvard

Czech Republic
Player Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
Matej Blumel F Waterloo (USHL) Connecticut
Tomas Vomacka G Connecticut (H. East)  

United States
Player Pos. Current Team NCAA Commitment
Blake Pietila G Cedar Rapids (USHL) Michigan Tech
Isaiah Saville G Tri-City (USHL) Omaha
Ronnie Attard D Tri-City (USHL) Western Michigan
Ethan Frisch D Green Bay (USHL) North Dakota
Ryan Johnson D Sioux Falls (USHL) Minnesota
Luke Johnson D Sioux City (USHL) Providence
Zac Jones D Tri-City (USHL) Massachusetts
Mitchell Miller D Cedar Rapids (USHL) North Dakota
Travis Mitchell D Omaha (USHL) Cornell
Bobby Brink F Sioux City (USHL) Denver
Matt Brown F Des Moines (USHL) UMass Lowell
Connor Caponi F Waterloo (USHL) Yale
Parker Ford F Sioux City (USHL) Providence
Trevor Janicke F Central Illinois (USHL) Notre Dame
Cal Kiefiuk F Central Illinois (USHL) Michigan
Jack Malone F Youngstown (USHL) Cornell
Robert Mastrosimone F Chicago (USHL) Boston University
Griffin Ness F Waterloo (USHL) Air Force
Josh Nodler F Fargo (USHL) Michigan State
Ryan O’Reilly F Fargo (USHL) Denver
Shane Pinto F Lincoln (USHL) North Dakota
Grant Silianoff F Cedar Rapids (USHL) Notre Dame