USA announced its preliminary roster for the 2025 World Juniors. Will four representatives from the OHL make the team?
As we roll into the last month of 2024, hockey fans are starting to count down the days until one of the year's best tournaments commences: the 2025 World Juniors Championship.
Canada revealed the 32 players named to their opening roster, which featured 16 OHL players, including a surprise selection for one particular top prospect for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Their fierce rivals of the south also named their preliminary World Juniors on Monday, which included four OHL members. Below are the representatives from the OHL and projections for where they could slot into a Team USA lineup if they make the team.
C, Carey Terrance - Erie Otters - 6-foot-1, 186lbs
Carey Terrance was listed on USA's roster as an extra forward for the 2024 World Juniors. However, he didn't suit up in a game. He should have a good opportunity to play as the team's third-line center and be part of a checking line the coaching staff can trust in defensive situations.
Terrance, the captain of Erie, has scored 12 goals and tallied 23 points in 24 games this season. The Anaheim Ducks prospect is having a productive year, but his two-way skills and versatility are hallmarks of his game, allowing him to excel in a bottom-six role.
He isn't a lock to make the team. However, when you're building out a team and looking for players who can excel in certain roles, Terrance offers the ability to play a shutdown role that a highly-skilled player like Trevor Connelly may not be able to do.
LW, Joey Willis - Saginaw Spirit - 5-foot-11, 185lbs
Nashville Predators 2023 fourth-rounder Joey Willis had an absurd scoring stretch not long ago. He's gone without a goal in his last three games, which I guess was bound to happen after he had scored 13 goals in five straight games, including back-to-back hat tricks and a five-goal outing. He's second on the Spirit in goals (16) and third in points (32).
Willis has to earn his roster spot and impress the U.S. coaching staff. However, he's a player who can play both the wing and center and be utilized on the powerplay and penalty kill. He's got a pinpoint, accurate wrister and can also play the bumper spot effectively on the man advantage.
He's excellent at reading his opposition, making him a great fit on the penalty kill. Willis isn't a big physical body, so that may hurt his chance of playing a fourth-line role. But he's got that winning pedigree of hoisting the Memorial Cup last season in Saginaw.
RW, A.J. Spellacy - Windsor Spitfires - 6-foot-3, 204lbs
The dual-athlete A.J. Spellacy has earned an invite to USA's camp, and it's understandable given his makeup of a speedy power forward. Like Willis, Spellacy can also play on the wing or down the middle, offering that flexibility in a bottom-six role.
The football player turned hockey player can be a heat-seeking missile out there on the forecheck. His acceleration is amongst the best in the OHL and puts immense pressure on defenders on retrievals. You're not going to rely on him for production (six goals and 16 points in 24 OHL games this season), but it's his work without the puck and breakaway speed that makes him so appealing.
The question for Spellacy will be if he can beat out players who have been playing in the NCAA: Teddy Stiga, Brodie Ziemer, Austin Burnevik, and Brandon Svoboda. In years past, the USA has looked past American-born players playing in the OHL for those who have stayed and developed on home soil and taken the NCAA development route.
G, Sam Hillebrandt - Barrie Colts - 6-foot-1, 170lbs
Barrie Colts netminder Sam Hillebrandt was the third goalie for Team USA at last year's World Juniors tournament. He's been fine this season but not spectacular. Sam has the OHL's ninth-best save percentage (.905%) and seventh-best goals-against average (2.82)
Trey Augustine is USA's goalie and will assume the starting role once again, so Hillebrandt will compete with Western Michigan University goaltender Hampton Slukynsky for the backup role.
Hillebrandt has been fortunate to play in front of a rock-solid defense group in Barrie, averaging just 27.6 shots against per game. Compare that to Canada's projected starter, Carter George, who gets shelled every night in Owen Sound, averaging 34 shots against per game.
Looking at the four OHL representatives, Terrance should make the team and be a fixture in their bottom six. USA is familiar with Hillebrandt, which could give him the upper hand to assume the backup role. Joey Willis is a sneaky player who I think should be on the team, given how intelligent of a player he is to fulfill so many different roles. And A.J. Spellacy probably gets cuts in favor of Brandon Svoboda and Austin Burnevik who have looked good in the NCAA this season.
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