By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins may have representation on this year’s Team USA squad at the 2021 World Junior Championship once again, as prospect Johnny Beecher was included in the 29-player preliminary roster revealed by USA Hockey.
Drafted by the Bruins with the No. 30 overall pick in 2019, Beecher will compete for a spot on Team USA after a 2018-19 campaign that included nine goals and 16 points in 31 games —and a nod on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team — for the University of Michigan. Beecher was also on last year’s Team USA roster in the 2020 WJC, appearing in five games.
Starting later than expected due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it’s been a bit of a slow start for the 6-foot-3, 209-pound Beecher this season, with just one goal and eight shots on goal through six games for the Wolverines.
The Bruins have had a prospect of theirs on a Team USA roster in five straight World Junior Championship tournaments, with nine B’s earning nods over that stretch. That list includes Anders Bjork (2016), Brandon Carlo (2016), Charlie McAvoy (2016-2017), Ryan Lindgren (2017-18), Jeremy Swayman (2018), Kyle Keyser (2019), and Beecher and Curtis Hall last year. Lindgren is the only player not longer with the organization, as he was traded to the Rangers as part of the Rick Nash trade in 2018.
This year’s team will be coached by Providence College’s Nate Leaman, while Harvard head coach and former Bruins forward Ted Donato will be among the assistant coaches on Leaman’s staff.
The final roster will be announced on Dec. 13 following a week-long training camp in Michigan, while this year’s tournament, which will be held in Edmonton, is slated to run from Dec. 25 through Jan. 5, 2021.
Sidelines Podcast
Ty Anderson and Matt Dolloff talked about the Bruins and much more in the newest episode of the Sidelines Podcast on Wednesday. Have a listen below.
