Seven New England players have been invited to participate in the USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp this summer in Plymouth, Mich.
The format for this year’s event, taking place July 24 to Aug. 3, is unique in that it will be used by USA Hockey to select players for two different World Junior Championships.
The 2022 WJC, rescheduled after COVID disrupted it this past December, will be played August 9-20 in Edmonton, Alberta. Players born in 2002, 2003 and 2004 will make up the team that heads to Edmonton.
The 2023 World Juniors will be Dec. 26, 2022 through Jan. 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick. The `02s at the evaluation camp will not be eligible for the 2023 tournament.
Five forwards and two defensemen from New England will be at USA Hockey Arena for the 11-day selection process. Notably, projected 2022 starting goaltender Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.) of Boston University is opting out of playing this time around.
The forwards are Providence College’s Brett Berard (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.), Northeastern sophomore center Jack Hughes (Westwood, Mass.), Northeastern recruit Cam Lund (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Michigan right wing Mackie Samoskevich (Newtown, Conn.).
On the blue line, Harvard’s Ian Moore (Concord, Mass.) and UMass’ Scott Morrow (Darien, Conn.) will be joining the fun in Plymouth.
Berard, Hughes, Samoskevich, Moore and Morrow all appear to be locks for the U.S. team that will head to Edmonton in August. Lund has a shot at making the 2023 team that will head to the Maritimes in December.
A pair of college bench bosses from the region will be head coaches for the 2022 and 2023 championships. Providence’s Nate Leaman will be the man in charge in Edmonton while Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold (Bedford, N.H.) takes the reins for 2023.
NEW ENGLAND FORWARDS
Brett Berard, LW, East Greenwich, R.I./Providence
Riley Duran, RW, Woburn, Mass./Providence
Jack Hughes, C, Westwood, Mass./Northeastern
Cam Lund, C, Bridgewater, Mass./Green Bay (Northeastern commit)
Mackie Samoskevich, RW, Newtown, Conn./Michigan
NEW ENGLAND DEFENSEMEN
Ian Moore, Concord, Mass./Harvard
Scott Morrow, Darien, Conn./UMass
FORWARDS WITH TIES TO THE REGION
Tyler Boucher, RW, Ottawa 67s (formerly of Boston University)
Kenny Connors, C, Dubuque (UMass commit)
Matt Coronato, RW, Harvard
Cutter Gauthier, LW, U.S. NTDP U18 (Boston College commit)
Sam Lipkin, LW, Chicago (Quinnipiac commit)
Owen McLaughlin, C, Sioux City (formerly of Mount Saint Charles)
DEFENSEMEN WITH TIES TO THE REGION
Ty Gallagher, Boston University
Aidan Hreschuk, Boston College
Lane Hutson, U.S. NTDP U18 (Boston University commit)
Connor Kelley, Minneapolis Duluth (transferring to Providence)
Ryan Ufko, UMass
GOALTENDERS WITH TIES TO THE REGION
Tyler Muszelik, U.S. NTDP U18 (New Hampshire commit)
Dylan Silverstein, U.S. NTDP U18 (Boston College commit, formerly of Dexter Southfield)
