Jackson Blake makes U.S. World Junior squad///he UND freshman headed to play in the under-20 event
Dec. 17—GRAND FORKS — Jackson Blake didn't wait until USA Hockey's World Junior Championship selection camp to make an impression on the American coaches.
In October, the UND rookie forward played a series against Quinnipiac, whose head coach Rand Pecknold also is Team USA's World Junior coach.
In that series, Blake had four points. He scored each night and set up a goal each night. He's the only player to have a four-point weekend against 14-1-3 Quinnipiac this season.
Last weekend, Blake played against U.S. assistant coach Pat Ferschweiler, the head coach at Western Michigan. In that series, Blake made a pair of setups for backdoor tap-ins.
Considering those auditions, it's probably no surprise that Blake has made the U.S. World Junior team.
According to
a report from Chris Peters
of Flo Hockey, the UND freshman forward is one of 25 players who will be going to the World Junior Championship in Moncton, N.B., and Halifax, N.S., with USA Hockey.
Only 23 will be registered to play, but Blake is expected to be among them.
Peters said he believes Blake is in contention for a top-six forward slot on the team.
The Athletic's Corey Pronman
is projecting Blake to play right wing on the second line.
Blake is off to a fast start in his college career. He is UND's leading scorer at Christmas break with 21 points in 19 games. Blake is currently on a 10-game point streak.
The Americans will play two pre-tournament games. They take on Finland at 5 p.m. Monday and they'll play Sweden at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Then, they'll have a five-day break before the tournament officially begins Dec. 26.
The U.S. will play all four pool play games in Moncton, N.B., before heading to Halifax, N.S., for the quarterfinals.
The medal games are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5.
Blake will miss UND's exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 Team on New Year's Eve. It's possible he returns for UND's regular-season series Jan. 6-7 against Lindenwood, but that may depend on USA's finish and flight arrangements.
Games to be played in Moncton, N.B.
Dec. 26 — vs. Latvia, 3 p.m.
Dec. 28 — vs. Slovakia, 3 p.m.
Dec. 29 — vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m.
Dec. 31 — vs. Finland, 3 p.m.