Swansea’s Keller heads talented group of four St. Louis players competing for Team USA roster spots
Swansea native Clayton Keller was one of four St. Louis-area players making the initial 29-man list competing for spots on Team USA’s roster at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Helsinki, FInland.
The others announced Monday were Effingham native and St. Louis Blues goaltending prospect Luke Opilka and forwards Ryan MacInnis and Matthew Tkachuk. MacInnis is the son of Hall of Fame defenseman and Al MacInnis and Tkachuk is the son of former NHL star forward Keith Tkachuk.
Next up is a training camp Dec. 14-18 at Boston University, with an additional camp Dec. 19-24 in Vierumaki, Finland. The final 23-man roster will be named by Dec. 24, according to USA Hockey.
Keller, 17, is currently playing with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan and is the team’s top scorer with 16 goals and 50 points in only 25 games. The Boston University recruit is considered a potential first-round draft pick next June in the NHL Draft.
Keller is 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds but is considered a dazzling playmaker and scorer. Last season he helped the USA Hockey Under-18 national team win a gold medal at the world championship.
The 18-year-old Opilka, a fifth-round draft pick by the Blues last June, is 16-3-2 with a 2.42 goals-against average for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.
Ryan MacInnis, 19, also plays for Kitchener and has 19 goals and 39 points in 19 games. He was a second-round pick by Arizona last June.
Matthew Tkachuk, 17 plays for the OHL’s London Knights. He has 13 goals and 53 points in 30 games.
“This is a young, talented group that has experience winning on the international level,” said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations and general manager of the 2016 National Junior Team. “The great variety and depth of talent represented by these players will make for some tough decisions, but that’s certainly a good problem to have.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Swansea’s Keller heads talented group of four St. Louis players competing for Team USA roster spots."