Five Spartans Off to WJC Selection Camps

East Lansing, Mich. -- WJC Selection Camps

A total of five Michigan State hockey players have been invited to participate in selection camps for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships.

The United States has invited three players to its WJC selection camp: Goaltender Trey Augustine (South Lyon, Mich.), forward Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wis.) and defenseman Patrick Geary (Buffalo, NY). Defenseman Maxim Štrbák (Košice, Slovakia) is a WJC veteran for Slovakia, while Tommi Männistö (Riihimäki, Finland) skated in the World Junior Showcase for his native country in Ann Arbor in August and is a candidate for Team Finland. Team USA's selection camp will be held in Ann Arbor from Dec. 14-16.

IIHF World Junior Championships - Official Website

"We feel super fortunate that our players are among the candidates for the World Junior Championships," said Spartan coach Adam Nightingale. "Trey, Isaac, and Maxim have already played in high-level international tournaments in previous years, and they know the pride that comes with pulling on your nation's sweater. Playing for your country is an incredibly special opportunity, and one that should be celebrated."

The IIHF World Junior Championships will be held Dec. 26 – January 5, 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and split between two arenas, Frölundaborg and Scandinavium. Finland is in Group A with Canada, Germany, Latvia, and host Sweden, while Slovakia and the US joined in Group B by Czechia, Switzerland, and Norway.

Once the teams arrive in Sweden, they have an opportunity to train and play a series of exhibition games in cities throughout the southern portion of the host country. Finland plays Slovakia in its first WJC exhibition on Dec. 19, and the US opens its exhibition slate against Sweden. The US will play its second exhibition three days prior to the start of the round-robin with a showdown against Canada on Dec. 23.

Round-robin games within the groups begin on Dec. 26. Slovakia will play in the first game of the tournament against Czechia (6 pm ET), followed by Team USA vs. Norway (11 pm ET) at the same venue (Frölundaborg). Finland will open with Canada (8:30 pm) at Scandinavium.

Related News

Players Mentioned

Trey Augustine

Patrick Geary

Isaac Howard

Related Videos