Devils well represented at WJC selection camps

The World Junior Championship is an annual tournament featuring the best hockey players from 10 countries under the age of 20. The New Jersey Devils will be well represented, with at least seven (and likely eight) earning invitations to their respective teams' selection camps, which start this week. Two more players would have been invited if they weren't already carving out memorable rookie seasons for themselves in the NHL: Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt.

We'll provide a more thorough report as selection camps wrap up and rosters are finalized, but for now, here's a little preview.
Joey Anderson - USA - third round (No. 73), 2016
No stranger to USA Hockey, Anderson was part of the USA National Team Development Program in Michigan for two years and won gold at the WJC with Team USA last year playing limited yet effective minutes in a bottom-six role. He carried that momentum through the second half of his freshman season playing prime-time minutes for Minnesota Duluth and helping the Bulldogs get to the national championship game. An upper-body injury kept him out of the lineup for six games last month, but he returned Thanksgiving weekend and is ready to take on more important minutes and be a bigger part of Team USA on both ends of the ice, as he will be expected to not only put up points, but shut down the opposition's offensive attack as well.
Reilly Walsh - USA - third round (No. 81), 2017
Although he wasn't invited to USA's summer evaluation camp, he's been on USA Hockey's radar for several years, having participated in their select festivals as a 15-, 16- and 17-year-old and represented Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament last August (The first international tournament of the season for draft-eligible players and the only U18 tournament the USNTDP does not participate in). He's put up points everywhere he's played and this season has been no different. The freshman defenseman is earning top-four minutes and is running Harvard's power play, earning three goals and five assist for eight points in 10 games so far this season.
Michael McLeod - CAN - first round (No. 12), 2016
Last year, McLeod was the 13th forward on Team Canada, who earned silver after a shootout loss to Team USA in the championship game. He played very limited minutes, but still notched two goals and an assist in seven games. After a knee injury in training camp delayed the start of his season this year, he's got eight goals and five assists for 13 points in 11 games so far. McLeon is the captain of Mississauga in the OHL and hopes to play a more significant role up the middle and be relied upon as a leader for this year's WJC team. His speed will be a huge asset for Canada, especially when surrounded by players who can keep up with him.
Yegor Zaitsev - RUS - seventh round (No. 205), 2017
A stay-at-home defenseman who plays hard yet limited minutes for Dynamo Moscow in the KHL, Zaitsev is a 19 years old. He was captain of Team Russia at the Super Series (an annual event with a Russian U20 team playing two games each against the best U20 players from the WHL, OHL and QMJHL for a total of six games every November), and appears to be the frontrunner to wear the "C" in Buffalo. He leads by example in his physical play, ability to protect the puck along the boards and shot blocking. In short, he does all the dirty work. He suffered an upper-body injury at the end of November and was expected to miss three weeks, but should be back in time to participate in Russia's WJC training camp.
Mikhail Maltsev - RUS - fourth round (No. 102), 2016
In 17 games for SKA St Petersburg in the KHL this season, the 19-year-old has five assists playing limited minutes and is currently playing for their Tier II team (AHL equivalent) with seven points in 11 games. Maltsev also participated in the Super Series for Russia last month and notched some key goals along the way. He's 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, aggressive on the forecheck, goes hard to the net, a two-way power forward with an offensive upside who plays on both sides of special teams. He is expected the be one of Russia's top two centermen in Buffalo.
Jesper Boqvist - SWE - 2nd round (No. 36), 2017
He was one of the more dominate players for Sweden at the WJSS in Michigan this past August, showcasing speed, speed and more speed. After playing 16 games for Brynas of the SHL last season, he was expected to compete for a full-time roster spot with them this season until a wrist injury in mid-September that required surgery knocked him out of the lineup for 10 weeks. The good news is he recently returned to the ice for Brynas U20 to get some games under his belt and, with five assists in four games, looks good to go for the WJC. The 19-year-old will be a huge part of Sweden's offensive attack by getting the puck up the ice quickly and using his excellent vision and hockey IQ to make plays.
Fabian Zetterlund - SWE - third round (No. 63), 2017
Last year in Sweden's junior league, Zetterlund put up 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 40 games. He's got a heck of a shot and isn't shy about using it. This year, he's played 26 games as an 18-year-old with Farjestad of the SHL and while he has struggled to put up points at the men's level at this stage in his development, he had a strong showing at both U20 Four Nations Tournaments (International events with a round-robin format to determine the winner that are held multiple times throughout the year at the U17, U18 and U20 levels. In these particular events, teams from Sweden, Finland, Russia and Czech Republic participated. There are also some events featuring five nations, aptly named the Five Nations Tournament.) earning two assists at the tournament in late August, three goals and an assist when Sweden won the event in November and an invitation to the WJC selection camp in the process.
Russia and Slovakia
Russia and Slovakia are starting their training camps in Europe and their current preliminary rosters only include players playing in European leagues. Later on, they will announce the invitees playing in North American leagues who will join them once their training camp moves to Rochester, N.Y. Marian Studenic, who plays for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL and who was selected in the fifth round (No. 143) this past June is expected to be on that list for Slovakia.
Studenic has been playing several years above his peers his entire career. When he was 16 he played in Slovakia's U18 league earning 39 goals and 25 assists for 64 points in 30 games. That same year, he played 14 games in their U20 league earning six goals and six assists. At 17, he played 35 games in their men's league, notching eight goals and eight assists. Now 19 and in his second season playing in North America, he's really come into his own offensively with 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in just 30 games so far this season. No stranger to Slovakia's national teams, Studenic will likely make his second appearance at the WJC this year and, with his blazing speed and scoring touch, he anticipates playing a larger role in their offensive attack.
WJC selection camps get under way with Canada starting on Dec. 12 with the final exhibition games on the Dec. 23. The final rosters are typically announced on or before Dec. 24. Check back here on Wednesday, Dec. 20, for a more complete update.