World Selects Invitational Archives

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

The ‘20 in 20’ series takes a deep dive into each of the 20 teams competing at the historic World Selects Trophy in Nashville, Tennessee on June 28th. This 15U tournament is set to feature the best players in the age group from around the world with players from the U.S., Canada and Europe. Today, we take a closer look at Barys.

BARYS

One of the European-based teams in the field, Barys is composed primarily of players from the Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, area. The roster has been subsidized with North American players like Aidan Pustizzi, Ben Sonkin and Cooper Hill from the Nashville Jr. Predators. Forwards Karim Kazhibekov and Abzal Alibek provide good size up front as a pair of 6-footers and the defensive group maintains good balance throughout the pairings.

The 2021 event will be the third time Barys has crossed the Atlantic to compete in a North American World Selects event. They have yet to qualify for the elimination rounds but will a smaller field and a new location change the program’s fortunes in the States?

WHH is providing exclusive coverage of the 2021 World Selects Trophy. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for the latest news regarding the international tournament later this month.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

DRAFTDAY RED

One of two teams entered into the field by DraftDay Hockey, the Red squad has plenty of talent in its own right. Finn Wilson is an excellent goaltender out of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). He alone will give DraftDay Red a strong chance in every tournament game he takes the net. With enough firepower up front, the team could be in good shape to make a run. Defenseman Logan Hurd has been described as a manchild on the back end after having an exceptional season for the Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers. His regular-season teammate Andrew DellaSalla is capable of making an impact on the forecheck as well.

DraftDay has been a regular participant in the World Selects tournament series in both North America and abroad, boasting such prospects as Matthew Savoie (2004), Rutger McGroarty (2004), Lante Hutson (2004) and Conor Bedard (2005), among many others. They’re also no stranger to entering multiple teams into the field and having both find success, doing so in each of the previous three North American events.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

DRAFTDAY BLACK

The reigning and defending World Selects champion, DraftDay Black won the 2019 title with the help of top 2004 prospects like Rutger McGroarty and Lane Hutson. Both have gone on to play for the U.S. National Team Development Program, and DraftDay looks towards its next crop of rising stars for the 2021 event. If successful, the team could be the first in history to win back-to-back North American 15U championships.

It’ll be a tall task, but DraftDay has certainly reloaded with the ‘06 age group. Lane’s younger brother Cole Hutson is a top player in his own right after playing last winter with the North Jersey Avalanche. Minnesota’s Max Plante and L.A. Jr. Kings’ Colin Frank are considered top forwards in the birth year as well, so DD-Black is set to be fueled by a high-powered offense, again.

Vladi Bryzgalov is widely considered the top goaltender in the U.S., posting stellar numbers during his 14U season for the New Jersey Colonials. Pairing lights out goaltending with a potent offense, and DraftDay Black will be hard to keep up with.

DraftDay has been a regular participant in the World Selects tournament series in both North America and abroad, boasting such prospects as Matthew Savoie (2004) and Conor Bedard (2005), among many others.This year, the program will put two teams into the tournament field with a Black and a Red team.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

DHI BLIZZARD

Based out of Minnesota, the DHI Blizzard will be stocked with players from the State of Hockey as well as Wisconsin. Seven players competed in Minnesota’s uber-competitive AA scene last season, and there’s a few influential outliers outside of the Midwest as well. Expect top D-man Julian Brown from the No. 14-ranked New Jersey Colonials as well as Indiana native Talen McBride to make their presence felt and contribute at the tournament.

The Blizzard is a spring/summer/fall program dedicated to providing the elite hockey player an opportunity to develop individual and team skills while competing against the top players and programs in North America. Training centers around mentoring, developing and shaping the character of the young athletes in the program, while making memorable moments and a positive experience.

Expect this squad to be well coached, highly skilled, disciplined and above all, a hard-working team on and off the ice.

Find out if this team has what it takes to compete with the best in the world at the 2021 World Selects Trophy next week.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

ALL-AMERICAN PROSPECTS

Started in 2014 by brothers Jake and Andrew Bennett, All-American Prospects is based out of Massachusetts and is known for competing annually in the famous New England tournament, the Chowder Cup. The 2021 event will be the fourth time that AAP has competed in a World Selects event, with their most notable performance coming in 2018 when the team advanced to the elimination rounds.

Built off of a foothold in Nova Scotia, AAP has seen top prospects from the Canadian province come through its program in recent years. NHL Draft picks Luke Henman (2000) and Ethan Phillips (2001), as well as current junior players like Oscar Plandowski (2003), Zach Dean (2003) and Cam MacDonald (2003).

Possibly the highlight of the program’s history, they entered two 2005 teams into the War at the Well last summer and coincidentally, both made it to the championship game. That matchup featured the likes of top 2005 talent from New England including Quentin Musty, Will Smith, Will Vote, Chase Pirtle, Matthew Mania and Tanner Adams.

The 2006 squad is expected to be a loaded roster, with some high-profile names in the birth year. Macklin Celebrini was a star forward for Shattuck-St. Mary’s national championship team. Ryker Lee was another significant contributor from that squad. Will Felicio and Liam O’Keefe are considered among some of the best defenders in the country. Teddy MacAusland and Teddy Stiga are big names out of the Boston area. Be sure to put 2007-born Cullen Potter on your early watchlists as well, competing as an underager in the tournament.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

CALIFORNIA ICE DOGS

Per its name, the foundation of the California Ice Dogs’ roster is built on players from the Golden State. Twelve of the 17 players on the roster hail from California and played for AAA teams in the state during the winter season.

Anaheim Jr. Ducks goaltender Logan Perez is a fine talent between the pipes and should provide decent support behind a speedy bunch up front. A pair of Arizona forwards can be expected to provide an offensive spark for the Ice Dogs, with the Chayse Laurie and Hayden Hastings.

Can California claim the championship at the 2021 event? It’ll be the Ice Dogs’ first appearance in the World Selects tournament and they’re bringing some of the best players from the west coast with them.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

BROOKLYN KNIGHTHAWKS

Originally created to provide a quality spring selects program for youth hockey players in and around Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn Knighthawks provide an intense atmosphere for top talent to develop by competing in top local, national and international AAA events. The Knighthawks build from the 8-and-under age group to the 16-and-under age group, and programming includes weekly practices, tournaments, uniforms and more.

The 2021 World Selects team include players from the Philadelphia Revolution and Philadelphia Little Flyers, as well as the New Jersey Rockets, Woodbridge Wolfpack and Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers.

Fueled by a strong, professional, non-parent administration and coaching staff, the Brooklyn Knighthawks thrive in a family-oriented atmosphere supported by state-of-the-art facilities. This month’s tournament will be the first time the Knighthawks’ program has competed in a World Selects event.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

NORTHSTAR ELITE EAST

Priding itself on outreach through their leadership and coaches that reach far and wide across the United States, NorthStar Elite fields spring and summer teams from the 2004-birth year to the 2012-birth year. Sean O’Brien — head coach and director of hockey operations at The Hill School — and Justin Friedman, who works with the New Jersey 87s of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), are co-owners of the program that has become a regular at the World Selects series. Set to compete in its fourth consecutive North American event, the program also reached a partnership earlier this month that will make NorthStar a member of the European events in 2022.

Andy Howard is the head coach of the 15O Arizona Jr Coyotes, and will be behind the bench for NSE East alongside Dakota Keene. The team has a deep, mobile group of defensemen who balance each other out well. Behind them is strong goaltending with Ben Vatis and Sam Straff in net. Up front, the team will have some dynamic playmakers including Cade Bell and Eric Palmer from the No. 5-ranked team in the world, HoneyBaked. Evan Jones is a top forward from the New York Saints, and Ryder McDonald and Ray Walen are a pair of USA Hockey National Camp Selections out of North Dakota.

For the first time in the program’s history, NorthStar will enter two teams into the event. In four years, the program’s best result was a quarterfinals appearance in the 2018 tournament.

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

NORTHSTAR ELITE MINNESOTA

A high-level AAA spring and summer hockey program that participates in some of North America’s top elite summer events. NorthStar Elite is responsible for a number of Division-I college commitments over the past three years, including Tanner Ludtke (2004), Cameron Lund (2004), Tyler DesRochers (2003) and Hobie Hedquist (2003). NorthStar has traditionally put a team into World Selects that comes from Minnesota. This year, the majority of the players come from the Twin Cities Selects AAA program. The group has played in many high-profile AAA tournaments including the Canada Cup, North American Hockey Classic (NAHC), Chi-Town Shuffle, Triple Crown, Top Tier and many local Minnesota tournaments. One of the most notable includes a championship in the AAA Minnesota state tournament.

The 2021 World Selects will be the fourth time that the program has competed in the North American event. The 2021 World Selects will be the fourth time that the program has competed in the North American event. Their best run being a quarterfinal appearance in the 2018 event.

This year’s squad features two goalies that are amongst the best in their age group, and legitimate Division-I prospects. Mason McElroy was named MVP of the Minnesota state bantam tournament and Josh Middleton played on his varsity team as a freshman, posting a 55-save performance against perennial powerhouse, Edina High School.

Carson Clark is a 6-foot defenseman who covers the entire rink with excellent skating ability. Mason Stenger is another blue liner capable of playing in all facets of the game as a tough, competitive player. Maceo Phillips is a 2007-born underager in the tournament, but is already 6-foot-3 and very fluid in his movements. He’s one of the top prospects in the 2007 class and has an incredibly high ceiling.

Loaded up front, NorthStar Minnesota has several forwards that need to be accounted for. Brendan McMorrow and Ben Box are both small and shifty with great hands. McMorrow’s footwork is fantastic and Box continues to get better and better every time he touches the ice. Tommy Pendergrast is a 5-foot-11 lefty from Colorado who was shot up recruiting boards as of late and USHL teams should start to take notice over the months leading up to the 2022 Draft. Alexander Zetterberg played for Timra IK U-16 in Sweden last season. He is a very creative player who sees the ice extremely well.

NSE Minnesota is one-of-two teams that the NorthStar Elite program is entering into the 2021 event, NSE East will be featured in tomorrow’s ‘20 in 20.’

A closer look at each of the 20 teams participating at the 2021 World Selects Trophy.

DETROIT JR. RED WINGS

A squad based out of Michigan, many of the players on the roster are local to the area with add-ins from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado.

Ohio Blue Jackets goaltender J.J. Salajko anchors the team in net. He has good size and takes up a lot of space, and could get plenty of ‘run support’ from forwards like A.J. Spellacy from the Cleveland Barons Elite and Liam Storch from Little Caesars. HoneyBaked defenseman Austin Baker is influential from the back end as well, rounding out the Jr. Red Wings into a balanced attack front to back.

A couple of players will quite literally be Jr. Wings, as Salajko is the son of current Detroit Red Wings goalie coach Jeff Salajko, and Blake Barnes’ father Ryan was a second-round pick and spent three seasons in the organization as well.