COLLEGE HOCKEY
A total of 20 of the 23 players listed on the preliminary roster currently or previously played college hockey, including eight currently in the Big Ten Conference. University of Wisconsin leads all schools with four players: Cole Caufield, Ty Emberson, K’Andre Miller and Alex Turcotte.
FAMILIAR FACES
All total, 12 players on the U.S. National Junior Team roster previously played for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich., at USA Hockey Arena, including John Beecher (2017-19), Cole Caufield (2017-19), Ty Emberson (2016-18), Spencer Knight (2017-19), K’Andre Miller (2016-18), Jacob Pivonka (2016-18), Mattias Samuelsson (2016-18), Spencer Stastney (2016-18), Alex Turcotte (2017-19), Oliver Wahlstrom (2016-18), Cam York (2017-19) and Trevor Zegras (2017-19).
RECORD SETTERS
The U.S. National Junior Team features three record-setting NTDP players: a forward, defenseman and goaltender. Cole Caufield set the NTDP goal-scoring records for single season (72) in 2018-19 and career (126), 2017-19. Previous record holders were Auston Matthews (55) and Phil Kessel (104). Caufield is third all-time at the NTDP with 180 points. At the 2019 Under-18 Men’s World Championship, Caufield tied Alex Ovechkin’s tournament record for most goals in single tournament (14). Cam York owns the NTDP record for points by a defenseman in a single season (65 in 2018-19) and is second all-time at the NTDP in career points by a defensemen (103), 2017-19. Additionally, York set all-time marks at the Under-18 Men’s World Championship including career points by a defenseman (17) and career assists by a defenseman (13). Spencer Knight set the NTDP record for most wins in a career by a goaltender (59), and was T-1st for most wins in a single season (32) after his 2018-19 campaign.
TIDBITS
Defensemen Mattias Samuelsson is serving as captain of the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team, while defensemen K’Andre Miller and forward Oliver Wahlstrom are the team’s alternate captains … The U.S. played two pre-tournament games. On Dec. 22, Team USA rallied from a 3-0 deficit on its way to a 6-4 win over Sweden. Nick Robertson, who tallied twice, was among five U.S. goal scorers. The next day (Dec. 23), behind four goals from Cole Caufield, the U.S. gained a 7-1 victory over Germany .. The United States enters the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship having won its last 12 tournament-opening games, a stretch that dates back to the 2007 event in Mora and Leksand, Sweden.
