Five Wolverines Named to USA Hockey Junior Preliminary Roster
11/30/2020 3:18:00 PM | Ice Hockey
PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- Five members of the University of Michigan ice hockey team have been selected to the USA World Junior Championship preliminary roster, it was announced Monday (Nov. 30).
Johnny Beecher, Matty Beniers, Thomas Bordeleau, Brendan Brisson and Cam York have been named to the 29-man roster and are set to report on Dec. 6. All five players attended USA Hockey evaluation camp, Oct. 8-13 in Plymouth.
The five players will miss the Minnesota series on Dec. 8-9, as will three players invited from the Univeristy of Minnesota.
USA Hockey expects to name the final 25-player roster by Dec. 13.
Michigan assistant coach Kris Mayotte will be an assistant coach for Team USA for the International Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, scheduled for Dec. 25-Jan. 5, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta.
Beecher and York were members of the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team that competed in the Czech Republic. The U18 Men's World Championship, scheduled for last April, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 Beecher, Beniers and York were members of that bronze-medal team.
Bordeleau is fourth in the nation in points per game, scoring seven points in six games for the Wolverines. He has tallied two goals, both game-winners, and added five assists. Beniers started his collegiate career on a four-game point-scoring streak of two goals and three assists. Brisson had a point in each of his first three games, scoring once and earning three assists. York leads Michigan defensemen in scoring with four points in six games and is second on the team in blocked shots with seven. Beecher has the best faceoff winning percentage (.562, 41 of 73) on the team and scored in a 5-2 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 19.
The U.S. is seeking its fifth medal in six years after earning four consecutive medals: bronze in 2016 and 2018, gold in 2017, and silver in 2019. Michigan players have earned 17 medals with USA Hockey at the World Juniors since 1980.
