World Junior Hockey 2016 USA Roster: 22-Man Team for Championships
Early Wednesday morning, the United States national team announced its final 22-man roster for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Helsinki, Finland.
Per USA Hockey, 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies make up the roster, with 15 of them having previously played for the United States in international competition and seven having suited up for the junior national team in last season's championships.
Here is the full roster, where each player is currently playing and what NHL team players were drafted by:
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| Anders Bjork | F | 19 | Notre Dame (NCAA) | Boston Bruins (2014) |
| Brock Boeser | F | 18 | North Dakota (NCAA) | Vancouver Canucks (2015) |
| Alex DeBrincat | F | 18 | Erie Otters (OHL) | 2016 Draft Eligible |
| Ryan Donato | F | 19 | Harvard (NCAA) | Boston Bruins (2014) |
| Christian Dvorak | F | 19 | London Knights (OHL) | Arizona Coyotes (2014) |
| Scott Eansor | F | 19 | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) | Free Agent |
| Ryan Hitchcock | F | 19 | Yale (NCAA) | Free Agent |
| Auston Matthews | F | 18 | ZSC Lions (Switzerland) | 2016 Draft Eligible |
| Ryan MacInnis | F | 19 | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) | Arizona Coyotes (2014) |
| Sonny Milano | F | 19 | Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) | Columbus Blue Jackets (2014) |
| Nick Schmaltz | F | 19 | North Dakota (NCAA) | Chicago Blackhawks (2014) |
| Matthew Tkachuk | F | 18 | London Knights (OHL) | 2016 Draft Eligible |
| Colin White | F | 18 | Boston College (NCAA) | Ottawa Senators (2015) |
| Louie Belpedio | D | 19 | Miami of Ohio (NCAA) | Minnesota Wild (2014) |
| Will Borgen | D | 19 | St. Cloud State (NCAA) | Buffalo Sabres (2015) |
| Brandon Carlo | D | 19 | Tri-City Americans (WHL) | Boston Bruins (2015) |
| Brandon Fortunato | D | 19 | Boston University (NCAA) | Free Agent |
| Chad Krys | D | 17 | U.S. U-18 National Team | 2016 Draft Eligible |
| Charlie McAvoy | D | 18 | Boston University (NCAA) | 2016 Draft Eligible |
| Zach Werenski | D | 18 | University of Michigan (NCAA) | Columbus Blue Jackets (2015) |
| Brandon Halverson | G | 19 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) | New York Rangers (2014) |
| Alex Nedeljkovic | G | 19 | Niagara IceDogs (OHL) | Carolina Hurricanes (2014) |
Captaining the team will be 18-year-old defenseman Zach Werenski, who was selected eighth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2015 draft. According to JuniorHockey.com, the University of Michigan product is the second-youngest player to ever captain the junior national team.
He was on the team that finished fifth in last year's Junior World Championships, recording a goal and an assist as a 17-year-old.
Werenski is one of 14 players on the 22-man roster who has been drafted by an NHL team in the past two years, as management is eager to put a competitive team on the ice.
National team general manager Jim Johannson spoke with USA Hockey:
"We're looking forward to getting the tournament underway. Because of the depth we have now, getting to a final roster is always difficult. We're excited about the team we'll put on the ice in Finland and believe in every one of these individuals to not only play the style our coaching staff expects but to also represent our nation proudly.
"
There is a big test waiting for this team in the tournament's opener. The United States will take on defending champions Canada on Saturday in a Group A that also features Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.
With two groups and 10 total teams, each country will play every team in its respective group once. The top eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, where a single-elimination playoff format will follow.
The United States will be hoping that a roster with plenty of international experience will see the team finish above fifth place in 2016.
Stats courtesy of USAHockey.com
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