CANTLON: (12/13) UCONN HUSKY MAKES A WJC TEAM 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – UCONN’s Ryan Tverberg was selected to join the Canadian team and officially became the sixth UCONN player to represent a country on a World Junior Championship team.

Tverberg heads off to Banff, Alberta, for the WJC camp. They’ll have three warmup exhibition games starting on December 19 against Switzerland, December 20 against Sweden. These WJC games will be played at the Peavey Mart Centaurium, the second site of the WJC.

December 22 Canada’s entry in the WJC will play a pre-Christmas affair against Russia at Rogers Place in Edmonton that will air on the NHL Network.

TOURNAMENT BEGINNING

The tournament begins on December 26 (Canadian Boxing Day) with a Group A meeting against the Czech Republic in Edmonton. The puck drop of all WJC games is 7:00 PM. All games will air on the NHL Network who will pick up the TSN feed.

Tverberg will be joined by several New York Rangers prospects, including returning goalie and ex-Hartford Wolf Pack, Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers (WHL). Another ex-Pack from last year is center Will Cuylle of the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). There will also be Jack Finley, who was recently traded from the Spokane (WA) Chiefs (WHL) to the Winnipeg Ice (WHL). Finley is the son of ex-Pack, Ranger, and Springfield Indian Jeff Finley and is presently a scout with Winnipeg. Another son of an ex-Indian is Ridley Greig from the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), the son of former Hartford Whaler and Springfield Indian; Mark Greig also made the team.

The Canadian WJC team was shut out 3-0 by a group of Canadian University All-Stars in their first of two exhibition games at Markin MacPhail Centre-WinSports Arena in Calgary on Saturday.

MORE TEAM MEMBERS

Two names of note from the Canadian University All-Star squad in two defensemen.

Nolan Volcan of the University of Alberta Golden Bears (CWUAA) is the nephew of former Whaler Michael “Mickey” Volcan and ex-Wolf Pack Tysen Helgesen. He is a senior for the Mt Royal University Cougars (CWUAA).

While not getting a point, Tverberg opened his coach’s eyes and solidified his chances of making the team while playing on a line with Elliot “Destroyer” Desnoyers of the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) and Joshua Roy Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL).

“I liked his game,” Head Coach Dave Cameron said to the Canadian Press in the Toronto Star, “He’s tenacious on the puck. That’s his biggest asset. He’s around the puck. I thought he had a couple of offensive chances he whiffed on. High energy. Good reads around the puck. Good on the forecheck, good on battles.”

On Sunday afternoon, the team won 7-2 with thirteen players registering points, including Tverberg, who recorded his with a third-period power play goal. Cuylle was patrolling the left side, with the center being the Washington Capitals’ number one pick, Hendrix Lapierre. Helgesen scored one of the two goals for the University All-Stars.

BIG RECRUIT HEADING TO STORRS

UCONN scored a significant recruit with a familiar last name in New England hockey.

Forward Mason Kesselring of Cushing (MA) Academy is 6’3 and 180lbs. He made a verbal commitment to the Huskies for 2022-23.

Casey Kesselring, Mason’s father, was a star in Hockey East in the mid-1990s with Merrimack. He also had a five-year ECHL career.

The New Hampshire native is also the younger brother of former Northeastern star Michael Kesselring. He had a short-lived minor pro career with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL).

Casey has been a prep school coach at Pinkerton (NH) Academy (2003-2009) and New Hampton (NH) School (2014-2019), where Michael is the school’s all-time leading point-getter. Mason spent a year there before going to Cushing. Casey was also an assistant for half a season of the CT Yankees in 2009 before taking the job with Pinkerton.

Casey is presently the head coach of the Northern (MA) Cyclones 18-AAA team and a New England scout with Fargo (USHL). He has previously worked with the Youngstown (OH) Phantoms (USHL).

Greg Squires, (Brunswick School) moves on from Kunlun Red Star (China-KHL) to Södertälje SK (Sweden-Allsvenskan).

The Slovakia WJC team has Rayen Petrovický, a second year in a row son of former Whaler Róbert Petrovický.

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

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