Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt will play for the American men’s national junior team at the upcoming World Junior Championship, USA Hockey announced Sunday.
Barratt, who was drafted by Chicago in the third round in 2017, is tied with Penn State teammate Alex Limoges for the NCAA scoring lead at 29 points. Barratt has 13 goals and 16 assists in 17 games for the Nittany Lions during his sophomore season.
The 6-foot, 187-pound center had a goal and five assists in seven games during Team USA’s gold-medal run at last year’s under-18 World Juniors.
Forward Jack Drury of Winnetka, Illinois, also made the team. The Hurricanes prospect has four goals and 12 points during his freshman season at Harvard. Carolina selected Drury with the No. 42 overall pick in the second round of the NHL draft in June.
Three Illinois natives were among the final roster cuts: defenseman Joey Keane of Chicago (OHL Barrie) and forwards Cole Coskey of Zion (OHL Saginaw) and Sean Dhooghe of Aurora (NCAA Wisconsin). Coskey and Dhooge are both eligible for next year’s NHL draft, while Keane was selected by the Rangers in the third round this year.
The U.S. will be in Group B in the preliminary round of the tournament with Finland, Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Sweden. Team USA has medaled in three consecutive in World Juniors, including winning gold in 2017.
The tournament will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6 in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.