U.S. National Junior Team trims roster down to 24

By @StefanKubus – 

Team USA will be moving forward to the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship without a notable Michigan name.

The team announced cuts Thursday morning to get its roster down to 24 players, and among the cuts was Farmington Hills native and Erie Otters forward Alex DeBrincat.

It comes as somewhat of a surprising move considering DeBrincat leads the OHL in scoring with 30 goals in 28 games and trails only teammate Taylor Raddysh (CAN) by one point for the overall point lead.

Per TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the belief from Team USA management is that DeBrincat didn’t have strong showings at the summer and final selection camps.

With 13 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies, Team USA still needs to cut one defenseman to get down to seven and will need to decide which two goaltenders will be on the main roster for the tournament.

Calgary Flames prospect and goaltender Tyler Parsons (Chesterfield) is the lone remaining Michigan native on the U.S. roster.