USA Hockey announced its final roster for the 2019 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
The United States will look to make it four straight medals at this year’s tournament that runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5.
Four players will represent three different New England states on the U.S. National Junior Team. Providence College freshman right wing Jay O’Brien (Hingham, Mass.), Boston College right wing Oliver Wahlstrom (Yarmouth, Maine), Yale sophomore defenseman Phil Kemp (Greenwich, Conn.) and USA Hockey NTDP goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) are the four players from the region who will wear the red, white and blue.
The only player from New England who did not make the team after receiving an invite to the pre-tournament camp was Providence College freshman defenseman Michael Callahan of Franklin, Mass.
Seven other players who play or have ties to the region, including projected starting goaltender Cayden Primeau of Northeastern, are also on the U.S. roster.
The others are Boston University sophomore left wing Logan Cockerill, Harvard freshman center Jack Drury, Boston University freshman left wing Joel Farabee, Northeastern freshman center Tyler Madden, Yale freshman defenseman Jack St. Ivany, and Boston Bruins goaltending prospect Kyle Keyser, who plays for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.
Two other players competing in the region will be at the World Junior Championship. Boston University sophomore center Shane Bowers will represent Canada while UMass goaltender Filip Lindberg will be on the roster for Finland.
Scouting New England’s Representatives
Phil Kemp
Yale, 2/12/99, So., D, Right Shot, 6-3/203
NHL: Edmonton Oilers, 2017, 7th Round (217th overall)
When taking Kemp for the team, USA Hockey brass was hoping to add more of a shutdown defender who is reliable with good size. Kemp will add little in terms of offense, but he will hopefully bring somewhat of a physical presence. If Kemp plays his best, he will have a quiet tournament and won’t be noticed.
Spencer Knight
U.S. NTDP U-18, 4/19/01, G, Catches Left, 6-3/198
NHL: 2019 draft eligible
Knight will be serve as either the backup or the third string goaltender for the Americans. He is one of two underage players to make the U.S. roster. The other is NTDP teammate and projected first overall pick Jack Hughes. Knight is an elite goaltender who is likely to be picked in the first round of the upcoming draft. He has good size, is technically sound, and moves well in net.
Jay O’Brien
Providence, 11/4/99, RW, Right Shot, 5-11/176
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers, 2018, 1st Round (19th overall)
O’Brien was drafted as a center of Thayer Academy and is expected to play that position moving forward, but look for the Hingham, Mass., native to play right wing here as he has this fall with the Friars. He missed significant time during the first semester with a concussion. O’Brien will likely be on the third or fourth line here. USA Hockey hopes he can bring his compete level and strong hockey sense in all three zones. O’Brien brings the added benefit of being a player who could chip in offensively in a bottom six role.
Oliver Wahlstrom
Boston College, 6/13/00, RW, Right Shot, 6-1/207
NHL: New York Islanders, 2018, 1st Round (11th overall)
Wahlstrom, a U.S. NTDP alum, is off to a slow start in his first and only season with the Eagles. He has just four goals in 14 games and has appeared disinterested at times. He’s on the team because his goal scoring abilities are too great to leave home in the minds of USA Hockey. Wahlstrom might struggle with the pace at times, but he can fire pucks from anywhere and he has a lethal shot. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him reunited on a line with Hughes and Farabee.
The other New England representatives
Primeau will play the biggest role of the other players with New England connection. The Voorhees, N.J., native will be the starting goaltender. He has a .918 save percentage while leading Northeastern to a 10-3-1 record, despite losing a boatload of talent to graduation.
St. Ivany and Madden are the only two players not at the World Junior Summer Showcase to make the U.S. roster. Both players have boosted their stock tremendously over the last two seasons. St. Ivany, from Manhattan Beach, Calif., was passed over by NHL teams in his first year of eligibility, but a big final season in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede led to his fourth round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the draft this past June. He’s always had good size and been reliable in his own zone, but he’s recently added an offensive element to his game. He has two goals and six assists in 12 games for Yale so far this season.
Madden has six goals and nine assists in 14 games with the Huskies this season. His speed and ability to hunt pucks on the forecheck will be the two biggest assets he brings to the table at this tournament. Madden is a center by trade, but look for him to play on the right wing here. He’s the son of former NHL journeyman and Cleveland Monsters (AHL) head coach John Madden.
Farabee has four goals and seven assists in 16 games at Boston University this fall. He’s a skilled offensive player who should fill a top six role here. Farabee has played a bit at center this fall, but he’ll be a wing here.
Drury has four goals and eight assists in 11 games at Harvard. He’s a two-way center who blocks shots, kills penalties, and is responsible in all three zones. Drury is a familiar name to hockey fans as his dad, Ted Drury, played in the NHL after Harvard and his uncle, Chris Drury, had a successful NHL career after winning the 1998 Hobey Baker at BU.
Cockerill has failed to bring much of an offensive element in his one-plus seasons at Boston University. However, he has speed and USA Hockey hopes he can use that to his advantage in a bottom six role here. This is one of the more questionable roster decisions made by USA Hockey.
Keyser, hailing from Florida, is likely the third string goaltender for the U.S.
The U.S. National Junior Team will open up play at the 2019 World Junior Championship against Slovakia on Wed., Dec. 26. Following that the Americans will take on Kazakhstan on Dec. 28, Sweden on Dec. 29, and Finland on Dec. 31.
