NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Blackhawks are likely to have several prospects play in the upcoming Men’s World Junior Championships held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Today, Team USA announced their preliminary roster for the World Junior Championships squad, looking to defend their 2021 Gold Medal. Four Blackhawks prospects have been named to the U.S. roster.
Introducing the preliminary roster for the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team! 🇺🇸 #WorldJuniors #USAWJC
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) November 30, 2021
Landon Slaggert makes his second appearance on a USA World Junior Championships roster after playing last year with the Gold Medal-winning team. Slaggert, a 2020 third-round pick by the Blackhawks, has four goals and eight points in 13 NCAA games this season with Notre Dame. He skated in all seven games with Team USA last year at the World Junior Championships but did not record a point.
Defensemen and teammates at Minnesota-Duluth, Wyatt Kaiser, and Connor Kelley look to make their first Team USA appearances. As a 2020 third-round pick by Chicago, Kaiser has six points in 12 NCAA games this season for the Bulldogs, playing in a top-pairing role as a Sophomore. Kaiser played heavy minutes last season as a Freshman for Minnesota-Duluth on their way to the Frozen Four. Kelley, a 2021 seventh-round pick by the Blackhawks, is also in his second season playing with Minnesota-Duluth. After having five points in 25 games as a Freshman, Kelley already has four points in 11 games this season.
In net, Blackhawks 2020 second-round pick Drew Commesso gets his second invite to the Team USA preliminary roster. He was supposed to be with the U.S. at last year’s tournament, but due to COVID restrictions, he and Boston University teammate Alex Vlasic were held back. This year, Commesso is expected to be the No. 1 goaltender for Team USA, even though he isn’t having a stellar season with the Terriers. In his second year at Boston University, Commesso has a 4-7-2 record with a .889 save percentage and a 3.11 GAA. He earned a Bronze Medal with Team USA at the World Championships in the summer after being an injury replacement mid-tournament.
The Men’s World Junior Championships tournament begins on December 26 and runs through January 5, 2022, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
