Beecher, Hall Named to USA's Preliminary Roster for WJC

BostonBruins.com - Boston Bruins prospects John Beecher and Curtis Hall have been named to the U.S. National Junior Team's preliminary roster for the 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Championship.
Beecher, who was selected by the Bruins in the first round (30th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, is skating in his first season as a freshman at the University of Michigan. The Elmira, New York native leads the Wolverines with five goals this season and has added four assists for a total of nine points in 16 games, which is tied for the team lead in scoring. He also leads all Big Ten freshmen in faceoffs won (147, 54.4 %) and game-winning goals (two).
This will mark the third opportunity to represent the United States in a major international tournament for Beecher, who won a bronze medal at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship and took first place at the 2017 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.

Hall, who was selected by Boston in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, is a sophomore at Yale University. He leads the Bulldogs with five goals and is tied for second in scoring with six points in eight games. Last year, as a freshman, Hall appeared in 24 games with Yale, scoring five goals and adding six assists for 11 points, which ranked third among first-year skaters for the Bulldogs.
Both Beecher and Hall participated in the 2019 World Junior Summer Showcase held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The event serves as an opportunity for players to compete in games against other countries and showcase their talents in hopes of earning a spot on the preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship. At the 2019 event, Beecher skated in five games for the United States, scoring four goals and adding one assist for five points. Hall also skated in five games for the U.S. and scored one goal.
Beecher and Hall were two of 28 players named to the preliminary roster on Monday. A pre-tournament camp will be held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth from December 16-17 before USA Hockey is expected to name the final 23-player roster on December 24.
The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held from December 26, 2019 - January 5, 2020 in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic. Team Finland IS the defending champions at the tournament, while Team USA has earned a medal in four consecutive years.