Three New England residents were named to the 2021 U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team that will compete in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Forward Cam Lund and defensemen Jackson Dorrington and Ryan Healey made the roster that was chosen by USA Hockey personnel after a weeklong camp at the Northtown Center in Amherst, N.Y.
The USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp took place from June 24-27 before a two-day Hlinka Camp with three All-Star games. The format was a little different this year, as there had only been one All-Star game in the past. The change was viewed in a positive manner by all college coaches and scouts.
The trio of players from Massachusetts will join 20 other 2004-born Americans at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. This year, the annual event that kicks off the draft season occurs in Czech Republic from Aug. 2-7.
Lund, Dorrington and Healey all performed well at the USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp and earned the chance to represent the red, white and blue. The team will be coached by Boston College alum J.D. Forrest, head coach of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Lund, from Bridgewater, Mass., is committed to Northeastern. He spent this past season playing for the Junior Bruins in the NCDC. He previously played for Cushing Academy and skated in two games for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, with whom he’ll spend the 2021-22 season. The skilled center skates well, has length and can change the tune of a game in one or two shifts. His hockey sense and vision make him dangerous offensively.
Dorrington, another future Husky, had a terrific camp in the Buffalo suburb. The North Reading, Mass., native also formerly played for Cushing before joining the Junior Bruins. Dorrington brought a physical element to the camp and made life difficult for opposing forwards. He was a bruiser, delivering a couple of big hits. He has a good stick, skates well and promotes possession. Dorrington will play 2021-22 in the USHL with the Des Moines Buccaneers.
Healey’s skating makes him a standout puck-moving defenseman. The Hull, Mass., native came into the camp with junior hockey experience between his time with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL and call-ups with USA Hockey’s NTDP. The Harvard commit is a product of the Boston Advantage.
Three other players with New England ties will be heading across the pond to play in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup — Tri-City Storm defenseman and Northeastern commit Vinny Borgesi, former Mount St. Charles defenseman Pavel Bocharov, and Salisbury goaltender Austin McNicholas.
There have been years where I’ve disagreed with USA Hockey’s selections. There are a couple of players you could make an argument for or against, but I thought the process worked well. The biggest snub in my mind was Bismarck Bobcats goaltender Cameron Korpi, a Western Michigan commit. He looked good to me and several college coaches and NHL scouts viewed him as the best goaltender at the camp.
