Predicting the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team for World Juniors

Boston University’s Joel Farabee (Cicero, N.Y.) is a likely addition to the World Juniors team. (Andrew Ketterer)

The 2020 U.S. National Junior Team will be vying for a fifth consecutive medal when it takes to the ice next December in the Czech Republic at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Next year’s edition will be look vastly different from this year’s team that earned a Silver Medal in Vancouver. Of the 23 rostered players that lost to Finland in the Gold Medal game, 16 were born in 1999, meaning they’ll be too old to play in 2020.

Then, there’s the issue of whether or not Jack Hughes or Oliver Wahlstrom will be in the NHL next season. Hughes is the likely first overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver. Depending on which NHL team drafts him, there’s a high likelihood he will be a full-time player in the NHL.

Wahlstrom clearly wants to move on from Boston College and begin his pro career, but whether or not he can play at the pace necessary to succeed at the game’s highest level is right now is still up for debate.