On Monday evening, USA Hockey announced their 44-player camp roster for the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase. The showcase is used as an evaluation tool for countries participating in the World Junior Championships to evaluate their young prospects.
Three prospects from the Chicago Blackhawks system have been invited to Team USA’s Summer Showcase Camp: Wyatt Kaiser, Drew Commesso, and Landon Slaggert.
Kaiser, a 2020 third-round pick (81st overall) by the Blackhawks, played in the NCAA last season with Minnesota-Duluth. He finished with 10 points (all assists) in 28 games, helping Minnesota-Duluth reach the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four. As a freshman last year, Kaiser was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team.
A 2020 second-round pick by the Blackhawks, goaltender Drew Commesso played last season in the NCAA at Boston University. Commesso worked his way into the starting role for Boston, going 6-3-1 in 11 appearances with a .915 save-percentage and a 2.99 GAA. Commesso was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and was slated to play for Team USA at last year’s World Junior Championships, but was held back due to COVID concerns. Commesso was able to go on to represent the United States at the World Championships in late-May as an injury replacement and earned a Bronze Medal.
Another third-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2020, two spots ahead of Kaiser at 79th overall, Landon Slaggert makes another appearance on a Team USA World Junior roster. Slaggert was part of the 2021 World Junior Championships Gold Medal team with the United State this past January, playing in all seven games at the tournament, but not recording any points. A freshman with the University of Notre Dame this past season, Slaggert finished the year third on the team in scoring with 22 points in 25 games.
Also invited to Team USA’s camp with ties to the Chicago hockey landscape include Illinois-natives Tucker Tynan (Chicago) and Sean Behrens (Barrington), as well as Chicago Steel players Ian Moore, Ryan Ufko, Matthew Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, and Josh Doan.
The Summer Showcase will be held from July 24-31 in Michigan, while the 2022 World Junior Championships are set to take place in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada from December 26th, 2021 through January 5th, 2022.