USA Hockey's World Junior Summer Showcase kicked off Sunday with a pair of Detroit prospects involved.

The World Junior Summer Showcase officially began Sunday with teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland all coming together with the best of their prospect pool to keep fresh with some competitive hockey. The tournament is being held at the University of Minnesota and will be running from July 27th up until August 2nd. 

Detroit fans may have missed the first day of the action but we have a quick recap of what happened with their team's recent picks from the 2024 NHL Draft in second round pick Max Plante and fifth round pick John Whipple. You can catch the pair of prospects playing again on Monday in the afternoon. 

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Max Plante

After a dominant year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the 19-year-old centre will be looking to showcase his talents and earn himself an entry-level deal with Detroit. Dominating the NCAA with 28 points in just 23 games, the Minnesota-born forward caught the attention of Team USA selectors and secured a place on the roster for the U-20 IIHF World Junior Championship. 

On the international stage, Plante added three points over six games, playing a key role in Team USA’s march to the gold medal. The hope is that we would get to see his talents in Minnesota but he unfortunately didn't suit up for Team USA's first set of games. He is still listed on the roster and will hopefully find his way onto the ice either Monday when Team USA is still split into two teams (Blue and White) or he could play Wednesday when they play as one team against Sweden. 

John Whipple

The 19-year-old defenceman did work into Team USA's first game versus Sweden, as part of Team Blue, yet the game results weren't what he hoped. Sweden would end up winning the game 5-2 in dominant fashion. It's unclear from the information provided from USA Hockey how many goals Whipple was on the ice for but what we do know is that he didn't find the scoresheet. 

Expectations were relatively high for Whipple coming in as he is playing the tournament in his home rink at the University of Minnesota, where he is coming off his first full NCAA season. Operating as a defensive defenceman, Whipple finished with a solid +4 rating but only contributed three points through 29 games. 

Expert reports suggest that he is a high-end skater that can break down and prevent fast break chances while also using excellent stick-checking skills to retrieve pucks and keep the play moving. Hopefully, Whipple can rebound in his next game with a better performance and keep offences off the board, showing the Red Wings he deserves an entry-level deal.

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