Boston Bruins Prospects Beginning Their World Junior Tryouts

The collective action has grown quantitatively sparse among Boston Bruins prospects in the U.S. college and Canadian major junior ranks. Although, three are currently in Calgary auditioning for a coveted Canada roster spot in the upcoming World Junior Championship.

Goaltender Malcolm Subban split the shifts with Jake Paterson on Team White in a Tuesday night scrimmage against a Team Red featuring Anthony Camara and Dougie Hamilton. One on-site reporter, CBC’s Tim Wharnsby, underscored Subban’s save on Camara as a bullet-point highlight.

Each team will have a turn engaging the University of Alberta on either Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, after which the 37-man roster will be whittled down to the permissible limit of 23.

If Camara, Hamilton and Subban are still rostered at that point, they will partake in the team’s first official practice this Saturday. Otherwise, they will presumably rejoin their respective OHL squads as early as this coming weekend.

Boston University freshman Matt Grzelcyk will have his three-day audition with Team USA in New York beginning this Sunday. The impression he leaves will essentially determine whether his next meaningful game will take place on Dec. 26 in Ufa, Russia or on Dec. 29 in Denver, where his Terriers shall take their schedule out of the cooler against the Pioneers.

Among the Division I programs still in action before the December deceleration, three boast Bruins prospects, although none of those players have seen much action of late. Ben Sexton’s Clarkson Golden Knights host Mercyhurst this Saturday while Colton Hargrove’s Western Michigan and Zane Gothberg’s North Dakota teams pay a two-night visit to Michigan and Michigan Tech, respectively.

Life goes on as usual for Seth Griffith of the London Knights, Cody Payne of the Plymouth Whalers and Matt Benning of the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Payne travels to Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday for the first installment of a four-night, three-city road trip that continues through Sudbury on Friday and Barrie (with or without Camara) on Saturday. The Knights will try to augment their divisional lead and their 18-game winning streak when they sandwich a Saturday matinee excursion to Guelph with a pair of home dates versus Owen Sound and Kingston.

The Saints, leaders in the USHL standings, conclude their five-game homestand with visits from Team USA Friday and the Chicago Steel Saturday.