Gophers trio named to U.S. National Junior Team

The Red, White and Blue will have a maroon-and-gold tint on its blue line for the upcoming World Junior Championship.

USA Hockey on Saturday announced the roster for the U.S. Junior National team, and a trio of Gophers defensemen – freshman Brock Faber and sophomores Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe – have made the team out of training camp the past week in Plymouth, Mich.

"We couldn't be happier for those three,'' Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. "All three are deserving. ... This was a special group, and we're awfully fortunate.''

In addition, three others with Minnesota ties made the 25-man team: Denver forward Bobby Brink of Minnetonka, Boston College defenseman Drew Helleson of Farmington, and Boston College forward Matt Boldy, the Wild's 2019 first-round draft pick.

The 2021 World Junior Championship will be held Dec. 25-Jan. 5 in Edmonton, Alberta. The U.S. roster is comprised of players born in 2001 or later.

With Faber, Johnson and LaCombe, the Gophers have three of Team USA's nine defensemen. Minnesota's three representatives are tied with Boston College and Michigan for the most of any school.

Johnson, of Irvine, Calif., has four assists and 10 blocked shots in six games this season. He is a first-round NHL draft pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2019. LaCombe, of Eden Prairie, has two assists and 12 blocked shots in six games this season. He is a second-round draft pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 draft. Faber, of Maple Grove, has one goal and seven blocked shots in six games. He is a second-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Kings this year.

According to ESPN NHL prospects writer Chris Peters, Johnson and Faber have been paired together during U.S. junior training camp, as they have with the Gophers, while LaCombe has skated with North Dakota's Tyler Kleven, a Fargo native and Ottawa Senators 2020 second-round pick.

The Gophers trio missed Minnesota's past two games, a sweep at Michigan that moved the team's record to 8-0, and Motzko sees the chance to play with Team USA as an important reward. He also believes freshman defenseman Mike Koster was playing at that level, too, though he didn't get an invitation to training camp.

"This is one time we are very happy to have our guys not with us,'' Motzko said of the trio. "We'll probably miss them for another series. Let's hope they keep winning.''

Brink, a second-round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019, has three assists in three games for Denver. Helleson, a second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019, has a goal and two assists in four games for Boston College. Boldy, selected No. 12 overall by the Wild last year, has three goals and five assists in four games for the Eagles.

The United States, coached by Providence's Nate Leaman, is seeking to return to the medal podium after missing out last year. Previously, Team USA had medaled in four consecutive years, winning gold in 2017, silver in 2019 and bronze in 2016 and 2018. Gophers coach Bob Motzko, then with St. Cloud State, coached the team in 2017 and 2018. Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin coached the team the past two years.

"This is the greatest tournament, outside of the Olympics, for amateur hockey,'' Motzko said. "It's the best 20-year-olds in the world. ... The great thing the United State is that for many years we were a participant. Now, we go into it as a favorite and a team talked about to win a medal. That tells you how far we've come in USA Hockey.''