The United States' roster for this year's World Junior A Challenge was announced earlier today.  This will be the 15th year of U.S. participation during the international competition.  The Waterloo Black Hawks have been represented by at least one player or staff member during each of those events.  This year, Griffin Erdman and Gavin Lindberg will be on the ice, with Matt Smaby on the bench as head coach and Spenser Popinga working as both Strength Coach and Equipment Manager.

The U.S. Junior Selects have won nine gold medals during their trips to various destinations in Canada.  In fact, every Black Hawk who has ever attended the competition has brought back a medal of one variety of another.  The collection also includes one silver and four bronze.  Former Hawks have made some remarkable contributions to American success.  As we look ahead to the start of this year's World Junior A Challenge on December 10th, here are the top five tournament performances by Waterloo stars of the past.

#5 – Craig Smith, 2008

The first U.S. gold medal run during the event came during Smith's second trip north with the Junior Selects.  Team USA lost their first game in Camrose, Alberta, against the entry from Germany.  However, they won the rest of their games, including a 7-1 final against Canada West.

Smith had a pair of assists in the championship game.  He finished the tournament with eight points (three goals, five assists) in five contests.  Overall, Smith's 2008 point tally made him that year's fourth-highest scorer, and he ranked second on the U.S. roster behind only Mike Cichy.  He was the first Black Hawk named to the World Junior A Challenge All-Star Team.

#4 – Blake Kessel, 2007

Few American defensemen have had a higher-scoring week at the World Junior A Challenge than Kessel's effort in Trail and Nelson, British Columbia.  The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick averaged nearly two points per game, tallying two goals and five assists as the U.S. reached the medal round.

A 5-1 semifinal loss put the Selects into the Bronze Medal Game against Russia, and it was a scramble for the U.S. squad to claim their hardware.  After trailing for much of the matchup against Russia, Kessel set up Tim Hall for a goal which made the score 6-6.  It was the first of four unanswered goals with Team USA going on to a 9-6 win for Head Coach P.K. O'Handley.
 
#3 – Eamon McAdam, 2012

In August of that year, McAdam had been named the most outstanding goaltender when the Black Hawks went to the Junior Club World Cup in Omsk, Russia.  Just a few months later, he was back in international competition, and a host of Hawks teammates made the trip to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, with him.  Vinnie Hinostroza, Taylor Cammarata, Zach Stepan, and Justin Kloos, plus McAdam, complimented their Russian silver medals with Canadian gold.

McAdam won all four American games.  He remains one of just seven goaltenders to ever win four times in one year at the World Junior A Challenge.  McAdam stopped 26 of 29 shots to win the gold medal by a 6-3 score against Canada West.  His .927 save percentage was the best mark among goalies who played in multiple games during the 2012 competition.

#2 – Vinnie Hinostroza, 2012

While McAdam was stopping pucks, Hinostroza was putting them in the net at the other end of the ice.  In just four games, Hinostroza scored six times.  That included the eventual tournament-winning goal as part of a two-goal night against Canada West.  He also tallied his only two assists of the competition for a four-point finale.

Hinostroza's eight points in four games tied him with defenseman Ian Brady as the top scorer during the competition.  Doubtless, Hinostroza's big finish contributed to him being named the Most Valuable Player of the entire event, the only Black Hawk to ever claim that honor.  No American has ever scored more than six goals at the World Junior A Challenge.  Including Hinostroza's performance a year earlier in 2011 (one goal, three assists), he produced 12 points in nine career games with the U.S. Junior Selects.

#1 – Tom Novak, 2014

Denmark has never been considered a hockey powerhouse, but the team the Danes brought to Kindersley, Saskatchewan in 2014 was the same group which represented that country in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships.  They pushed Team USA to the brink in the WJAC gold medal game and might have won it, if not for Novak.

Entering the championship, Novak had recorded two goals and two assists in four games.  Denmark leapt ahead in the first minute of action and stayed on top 1-0 until Novak set up Hawks teammate Brock Boeser near the midpoint of the second.  Denmark broke the tie with a third period power play conversion, but again Novak assisted on an equalizer, this time by Mason Bergh with just 1:43 left in regulation.

The matchup went to overtime still tied at 2-2, becoming the first ever World Junior A Challenge championship game to extend past 60 minutes.  Future Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers was called for slashing 3:41 into the extra period.  Novak scored the golden goal – unassisted on the power play – just over a minute later.  He was an easy selection for the tournament All-Star Team, although he was edged by Ehlers for the MVP award.  Novak finished with three goals and four assists.

Honorable Mention
Cal Petersen, 2013: 3 GP, 3-0, 2.67 GAA, .869 SV% (Gold)
Garrett Schifsky, 2022: 6 GP, 5 G, 1 A, 6 Pts (Gold)
Nick Swaney, 2016: 5 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 Pts, Tournament All-Star (Gold)

Black Hawks All-Time World Junior A Challenge Players
Mikey Anderson – 2016
Brock Boeser – 2014
Tony Cameranesi – 2011
Taylor Cammarata – 2012
Connor Caponi – 2018 & 2019
Jack Drury – 2017 
Griffin Erdman – 2023
Vinnie Hinostroza – 2011 & 2012
Joe Howe – 2008
Blake Kessel – 2007
Justin Kloos – 2012
Nick Larson – 2007 & 2008
John Lee – 2007
Gavin Lindberg – 2022 & 2023
Eamon McAdam – 2012
Ian McCoshen – 2011 & 2012 (did not play in 2012 due to illness)
A.J. Michaelson – 2011
Lee Moffie – 2008
Griffin Ness – 2018
Tom Novak – 2014
Liam Pecararo - 2015
Cal Petersen – 2013
Sam Rinzel – 2022
Ryder Rolston – 2019
Jake Ryczek – 2016
Hayden Shaw – 2014
Tyler Sheehy – 2014
Garrett Schifsky – 2022
Craig Smith – 2007 & 2008
Nick Sorkin – 2009
Logan Stein – 2019
Zach Stepan – 2012
Nick Swaney – 2016

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