USA Hockey set to open World Junior selection camp

United States National Junior Team coach Bob Motzko said he anticipates good competition for roster spots when USA Hockey's selection camp for the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship begins Friday at HarborCenter in Buffalo.
The select camp runs through Tuesday, followed by the start of training camp in Oshawa, Ontario, on Wednesday. It includes 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders. Motzko said he'd like to have his 23-player roster (three goaltenders, seven defensemen, 13 forwards) in place by the end of the first exhibition game, against Switzerland on Wednesday.

"We're going to be able to look at different line combinations on the power play, on the penalty kill," Motzko said. "We want to play fast, we want to be aggressive and to be able to spend five days with the group is going to be good in helping them understand the direction we want to go."
Motzko said he likes the fact that the roster includes players with size, skill and speed.
"You want to be able to have those three elements on your roster in order to play well in this tournament," he said. "The World Juniors is about getting up and down the ice and making plays. It's about special teams and goaltending, and if you're fortunate to have those types of players capable of filling those roles, you will put yourself in a pretty good position."
The 2017 WJC will be held in Toronto and Montreal from Dec. 26, to Jan. 5, 2017. The U.S. will open the tournament against Latvia in a Group B preliminary-round game at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Dec. 26. Also in Group B are Canada, Russia and Slovakia.
Here are five areas to watch heading into the start of select camp for the United States:

Who will serve as captain?

The logical choice would be one of the four returning players who were a part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2016 WJC in Finland: Defensemen Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins) and Chad Krys (Chicago Blackhawks), and forwards Colin White (Ottawa Senators) and Alexander DeBrincat (Chicago Blackhawks). Forward Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks), who also was played in the 2016 WJC and was invited to select camp, will miss the tournament recovering from surgery on his right wrist Wednesday.
It's possible the U.S. opts for rotating captains and alternates, but McAvoy (6-foot, 183 pounds), who has two goals, 13 points and 18 blocked shots in 17 games as a sophomore at Boston University, looks like a top candidate.
"It was pretty exciting being around [McAvoy] at development camp in August," Motzko said. "He has an infectious personality, always has a smile on his face with a little bit of twinkle in his eye. He plays a physical, hard game and brings an excitement to the locker room."

Check egos, please

The U.S. camp roster is deep in talent, particularly among the forwards. Players accustomed to certain roles with their junior or college teams might need to sacrifice a bit in order for the best possible roster to be assembled. Those unwilling to tweak their game to conform to this philosophy could be kept off the final roster.
Motzko said he wants to roll four productive lines consistently during the 11-day tournament.
"This has to be a group that has the mentality of checking egos at the door," he said. "The successful team is usually a group of guys who have great chemistry and come together in a short period of time."

Goaltending

The competition to earn the No. 1 job in goal could turn out to be the most intriguing of any positional battle at camp. In the mix are college freshmen Jake Oettinger (2017 draft eligible) of Boston University and Joseph Woll (Toronto Maple Leafs) of Boston College, and Tyler Parsons of London of the Ontario Hockey League.
Parsons, a 2016 second-round pick (No. 54) of the Calgary Flames, helped lead London to the Memorial Cup championship last season, and is 11-2-3 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 16 games this season.

2017 NHL Draft-eligible invites

Oettinger, a B-rated goalie on NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list, and defenseman Jack Ahcan of St. Cloud State University are the only players at camp eligible for the 2017 draft.
Oettinger has started 15 of 17 games and is 8-5 with two ties, a 1.93 GAA and .932 save percentage in 15 games.
Motzko has some familiarity with Ahcan since he coaches him at St. Cloud State in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The 5-7, 184-pound left-handed shot has three goals, 13 points and 13 blocks in 15 games for the Huskies. Ahcan, 19, was not selected in the 2016 draft although he was eligible.

First-round finds

Eight first-round NHL draft picks will be at the camp: McAvoy (Bruins, No. 14, 2016), and forwards White (Senators, No. 21, 2015), Clayton Keller (Arizona Coyotes, No. 7, 2016), Kieffer Bellows (New York Islanders, No. 19, 2016), Luke Kunin (Minnesota Wild, No. 15, 2016), Logan Brown (Senators, No. 11, 2016), Jack Roslovic (Winnipeg Jets, No. 25, 2015) and Tage Thompson (St. Louis Blues, No. 26, 2016).
Keller missed seven games because of a lower-body injury sustained Nov. 5, but has two goals and six points in three games since returning. The freshman center is third on Boston University with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 10 games.

USA HOCKEY SELECT CAMP ROSTER
GOALTENDERS:Jake Oettinger, Boston University (2017 draft eligible); Tyler Parsons, London, OHL (Calgary Flames); Joseph Woll, Boston College (Toronto Maple Leafs)
DEFENSEMEN:Jack Ahcan, St. Cloud State, NCHC (2017 draft eligible); Joseph Cecconi, Michigan, BIG10 (Dallas Stars); Casey Fitzgerald, Boston College, H-EAST (Buffalo Sabres); Adam Fox, Harvard, ECAC (Calgary Flames); Caleb Jones, Portland, WHL (Edmonton Oilers); Chad Krys, Boston University, H-EAST (Chicago Blackhawks); Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota, BIG10, (Boston Bruins); Charlie McAvoy, Boston University, H-EAST (Boston Bruins)
FORWARDS:Joseph Anderson, Minnesota-Duluth, NCHC (New Jersey Devils); Kieffer Bellows, Boston University, H-EAST (New York Islanders); \Brock Boeser, North Dakota, NCHC (Vancouver Canucks); Jeremy Bracco, Kitchener, OHL (Toronto Maple Leafs); Logan Brown, Windsor, OHL (Ottawa Senators); Alexander DeBrincat, Erie, OHL (Chicago Blackhawks); Erik Foley, Providence, H-EAST (Winnipeg Jets); Jordan Greenway, Boston University, H-EAST (Minnesota Wild); Patrick Harper, Boston University, H-EAST (Nashville Predators); Clayton Keller, Boston University, H-EAST (Arizona Coyotes); Luke Kunin, Wisconsin, BIG10 (Minnesota Wild); Tanner Laczynski, Ohio State, BIG10 (Philadelphia Flyers); Jack Roslovic, Manitoba, AHL (Winnipeg Jets); Troy Terry, Denver, NCHC (Anaheim Ducks); Tage Thompson, Connecticut, H-EAST (St. Louis Blues); Colin White, Boston College, H-EAST (Ottawa Senators)
\- injured, unable to participate