We are now in December which means the most popular U20 hockey tournament is around the corner. The World Junior Championships are only a few weeks away. For a while the Penguins did not have a lot of representation due to their win now window and propensity to spend their draft capital on help for the present roster. This is slowly changing as they will have some representation with players still in the organization and even one who they drafted recently.

Team Canada released their camp roster and Harrison Brunicke is on there. He had a wonderful training camp and came about as close as he could have to actually making the big club. I think the right decision was made to send him back to juniors as the NHL club isn’t exactly a structured environment defensively. Brunicke has a wrist injury so naming him to the camp roster might be a good sign there’s an outside chance he can be ready by the tournament. He’s been out since November 11th. There is a legit chance he is on here in name only as a best case scenario kind of thing.

Tanner Howe has also made the Canadian camp roster. He isn’t on the same fast track Brunicke seems to be on and that is fine. Being selected to Canada for camp is a good step and if he can make their roster he will get some great experience playing against the other top international competition in his age bracket.

Brayden Yager is no longer a Penguin and he is also on the roster. It is notable in the sense that the Penguins selected him with a first round pick and he is on a proper development track as someone picked in his draft slot. Whether or not the trading him away for Rutger McGroarty remains to be seen as a prudent move.

There were no Penguins players invited to Team USA’s camp.

Team Finland had two Penguins draft picks at their summer camp they were Emil Pieniniemi and Kalle Kangas. They have yet to release their official camp roster for the December tournament.

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