BLOG: Six Prospects Invited to U.S. World Juniors Evaluation Camp

Several Chicago prospects are lacing up their skates for USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp in Plymouth, Mich., which running from July 24 to Aug. 3. The camp will serve as the final evaluation for the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team ahead of IIHF Championships, set for the second week of August.

Included on the 64-man camp invite roster are 2022 Draft selections are forwards Frank Nazar III, one of the Blackhawks three first-round selections at 13th overall, third-round pick Aidan Thompson, and Dominic James. Rising Notre Dame junior Landon Slaggert will also attend camp as a Blackhawks prospect after his 2020 Draft selection in the third round at 79th overall.
On the blue line, Minnesota-Duluth teammates and prospects Wyatt Kaiser and Connor Kelley will also be attending camp next week, each of whom are entering their junior year of college.

Nazar, who is set to attend the University of Michigan for his freshman season this fall, has been a part of the U.S. National Team Development Program for several years, as well as the U.S. National U17 and U18 teams in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, respectively. In last year's U18 World Juniors Championship, Nazar appeared in 6 games, totaling 9 points (3G, 6A) and a 7 plus-minus.
Thompson, this year's 90th overall pick in the Draft, was just recently added to the camp roster. This will be the first U.S. Juniors appearance for the Fort Collins, Colo. native, who will be attending the University of Denver in the fall for his freshman campaign.
James, a sixth-round pick at 173rd overall, will also be attending the Evaluation Camp for the first time after a strong freshman season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. During the 2021-22 season, James played in 39 games and tallied 18 points (6G, 12A) and an 11 plus-minus.
Slaggert, like Nazar, has been involved in the U.S. National system for quite some time, starting in 2018; during both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, the Fighting Irish forward appeared on the U17 and U18 National Teams, and the USNTDP Juniors squad. In the 2020-21 season, Slaggert was on the U20 World Junior Championship team, where he appeared in 7 games.
"It's definitely a different dynamic for sure," Slaggert said last week at the end of Blackhawks Development Camp. "I had to train a little harder earlier on so I'd be ready for this camp, and then I think honestly, this is a good time to get me ready for that. It's an honor to represent your country, so I'm excited to go out for a third time now, so it should be a good time."
Kaiser, a third-round, 81st overall pick from the 2020 Draft, is attending the U.S. Juniors camp for the first time. Over his first two seasons with the Bulldogs, however, the defenseman appeared in 62 games, racking up 29 points with double-digit assists in each campaign.
Kelley, who will be transferring to play at Providence College this fall, has also been a member of the U.S. U17 and U18 teams and Juniors squads with Slaggert since 2018. In his two years at Duluth, a seventh-round selection in the 2021 Draft (204th overall), played in 64 games and tallied 16 points, including 5 goals.
The six Blackhawks prospects will be evaluated at camp next week in hopes of competing in the IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton this summer, which was originally scheduled for December 2021 and January 2022. This camp will also serve as an evaluation of the roster for the 2023 World Juniors, which are set to take place Dec. 26, 2022 through Jan. 5, 2023 in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.