With the 2022 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship about to get underway, USA Hockey has revealed its roster for the eight-team tournament. As expected, it features several projected high draft picks in July’s entry draft; the full team is as follows:
G Trey Augustine
G Michael Chambre
G Tyler Muszelik
D Hunter Brzustewicz
D Brady Cleveland
D Seamus Casey
D Ryan Chesley (A)
D Tyler Duke
D Charlie Leddy
D Lane Hutson
D Seamus Powell
F Gavin Brindley
F Logan Cooley
F Cutter Gauthier (A)
F Marek Hejduk
F Isaac Howard
F Devin Kaplan
F Ryan Leonard
F Cruz Lucius
F Rutger McGroarty (C)
F Frank Nazar
F Jimmy Snuggerud
F Cole Spicer
F Charlie Stramel
Cooley is a name that stands out as the center has worked his way up draft boards this season and is basically a consensus top-five selection with several scouting services placing him second. He had a combined 89 points for the National Team Development Program this season and is heading to the University of Minnesota next season. Nazar gives the US a dynamic one-two punch down the middle as the University of Michigan commit had 97 points this season and has a chance to be selected in the top ten in July as well. Hutson won’t go as high given his size (5’9, 148 lbs) but he nearly had as many points as Cooley did this season which is quite impressive for a defenseman. Because of his size, his draft rankings are all over the place with some ranking him as a first-rounder while others have him in the third round.
In terms of the 2023-eligible prospects, Brindley nearly doubled his production with Tri-City of the USHL this season and is the only player on the team that wasn’t in the development program all season. Leonard and Stramel, meanwhile, spent time with both the U-17 and U-18 programs which bodes well for their draft stock.
The tournament is being hosted in Germany begins on Saturday and runs through May 1st. It features teams from eight different countries split into two groups with each team playing the three opponents in their group before the medal round is set.
How many 5’9″ defensemen have had an NHL career in the past half century, let alone the kind of career that corresponds to the value of a first round pick?
Hutson will go third round, second round only if a team with multiple second round picks like the Yotes take a chance. Prospects aren’t usually picked as a result of their minor league successes but as a result of projections of how well they are expected to play in the NHL. A Dman needs to be able to stop big centres and wingers.
It looks like only one of the Hejduk twins is ranked for the draft. That’s a shame