At least four Buffalo Sabres prospects will attend evaluation camps for the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships later this month, hoping for the chance to represent their respective countries in the tournament that begins the day after Christmas.
Hockey Canada and USA Hockey both unveiled their respective rosters for selection camps, and four Buffalo Sabres prospects made the lists. Additional Buffalo Sabres prospects may also have a shot at representing their respective countries as other teams release their rosters in the coming weeks.
Hudson Fasching and J.T. Compher will both attend USA Hockey’s selection camp, while Buffalo Sabres prospects Sam Reinhart and Nicholas Baptiste were both named to Team Canada’s selection camp roster.
Compher has 10 points in 13 games with the University of Michigan this year, while Fasching – originally a Los Angeles Kings draft pick – has seven points in 12 games with the University of Minnesota.
Reinhart has 23 points in 11 games since being returned to the WHL’s Kootenay Ice from the Buffalo Sabres. Baptiste had 11 points in 12 games with the Sudbury Wolves and was recently traded to the Erie Otters, where he has one point in three games.
Puck Prose
Joining Fasching and Compher at the USA camp are several others who played with him on the 2014 U.S. National Junior team, including 2015 NHL Draft prospect Jack Eichel, Tampa Bay Lightning pick Adam Erne and Boston College goaltender Thatcher Demko.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin, who also played in the 2014 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo several months ago, will also be at the camp, along with others like Alex Nedeljkovic and Sonny Milano, both currently playing with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers.
USA Hockey’s training camp will be held in Boston from Dec. 16-19, including a pre-World Juniors game against the Boston University Terriers on December 19. The team will then move to Kingston, Ontario before 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships action begins on December 26.
The full roster can be found here.
Joining Reinhart and Baptiste at Hockey Canada’s selection camp are several big names, including top-projected NHL draft pick Connor McDavid, one of just two undrafted players attending camp. Others include New York Islanders draft pick Michael Dal Colle, Arizona Coyotes pick Max Domi and Vancouver Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen.
In addition, a trio of Winnipeg Jets prospects, including goaltender Eric Comrie, as well as Montreal Canadiens prospect Zachary Fucale, will attend Hockey Canada’s camp. Players like Bo Horvat, Curtis Lazar and Anthony Duclair are all questionable, as their respective NHL teams would have to loan them for the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Aside from McDavid, Lawson Crouse of the Kingston Frontenacs is the other undrafted invitee.
Hockey Canada will hold its selection camp from Dec. 11-15. The full list of camp invitees can be found here.