USA Hockey announces World Junior pre-tournament camp roster

December 7, 2015December 8, 2015 MiHockey Staff

Photos by Michael Caples and Jen Hefner of MiHockey, along courtesy photos from OHL Images' Aaron Bell — Photos by Michael Caples and Jen Hefner of MiHockey, along with courtesy photos from OHL Images’ Aaron Bell

By @StefanKubus and @MichaelCaples –

With the World Junior Championship beginning at the end of the month, the selection camp rosters have been released, and here are the Michigan natives invited to Team USA’s selection camp:

F – Alex DeBrincat – Erie Otters (OHL) – Farmington Hills

After a 51-goal, 104-point season, the reigning OHL Rookie of the Year appears poised to soar even higher in his second season in Erie. That’s even more impressive when you consider Connor McDavid is gone, granted Dylan Strome is no slouch by any stretch of the imagination. DeBrincat, who is one of the top prospects heading into next summer’s NHL Entry Draft, is off to a torrid start this season, with 32 goals and 54 points in just 28 games. By Nov. 10, he had already posted four hat tricks, including a five-goal game in just his second outing and a four-goal performance two games later.

D – Zach Werenski – University of Michigan (B1G) – Grosse Pointe

Werenski led all Big Ten defensemen with nine goals as a freshman and finished second in points with 25 in 35 games, good for All-Big Ten first team and All-Rookie Team nods. The 18-year-old Werenski returned for his sophomore campaign and has started it off even stronger, producing at nearly a point-per-game pace, with four goals and ten points in 12 outings.

G – Brandon Halverson – Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) – Traverse City

The former Victory Honda, Little Caesars and Oakland Jr. Grizzlies standout had a solid season for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last year, leading his group to the OHL Western Conference Final before falling to the Erie Otters in six games. Halverson, a second-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2014, posted an impressive 40-5-2 record between the pipes to go along with a .913 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average. Halverson hasn’t yet experienced the same success this season, with a 8-9-1 record, .888 save percentage and 3.42 goals-against average.

G – Tyler Parsons – London Knights (OHL) – Chesterfield

Parsons, 18, is in his NHL draft-eligible season, and he’s excelling with the London Knights once again. The Little Caesars alum has a 17-3-2 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.46 goals-against average this year with the Knights. Parsons was also an invite to the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo to kick off the 2015-16 season.