"Obviously, the focus is here right now but the (World Junior) was always a (consideration) for his season when he decided to come back to Michigan."
Goaltender Tyler Brennan, the club's fourth-round pick (102nd overall) last year in Montreal, has earned an invite to Team Canada's final evaluation camp. Brennan, 19, will battle three other goaltenders for one of three spots on the roster. There is little consensus who may have the upper hand but Brennan left last summer's evaluation camp no worse than second on Canada's goaltending depth chart.
Czech forward Petr Hauser, taken 141st overall last summer and who played for his country shortly after in Edmonton, is expected to get the nod again this time around.
Defenseman Seamus Casey, Hughes Michigan teammate, has been invited to the final U.S. selection camp. Casey, the Devils second-round (46th overall) pick in July, is having a tremendous rookie season with the Wolverines. It may be a year early for the 18-year-old to make the team but his camp invite is testament to how well Casey has played.
"Keith Tkachuk really pushed hard for him," said Devils development coach Eric Weinrich, of the former NHLer who serves on the U.S. selection committee.
The tournament is slated for the Atlantic cities of Halifax and Moncton, having been relocated there after the IIHF took the tournament away from Russia. Injuries and other roster issues with the Devils still could affect Nemec's status but it is expected that the Slovak will represent his country.
Nemec, 18, taken second overall last summer, is currently with the Utica Comets. He will remain eligible for the tournament next year but did not play in Edmonton in August. He has seen plenty of international action at the senior level, including the world championship and Olympics, where he won a bronze medal in Beijing.
Nemec's performance with Slovakia in 19 games at all levels last season is one of the factors why he rose so high up the draft charts, culminating in the Devils taking him.
From a Devils point of view, the most intriguing name could be Vilen. Having a player taken relatively late - 129th overall in 2021 - expected to be in a prominent role for a good team is a boon for the organization.
"I think they are going to make him (a captain)," said Weinrich.
Vilen, 19, was taken 61 picks after his compatriot, Samu Salminen, a forward with the University of Connecticut.
A previous injury and Salminen's move to North America could hurt his standing with Finland's selectors despite serving as captain of that country's U18 squad two seasons ago.
Salminen, a big rangy center, is hitting his stride after a late start to this season. He has three goals and two assists in 10 games so far this season.
The most notable name among Devils prospects who didn't make the cut was Chase Stillman, who is in his first full season playing for his home-town Peterborough Petes. The Devils 2021 first-round pick (29th overall) has had an uneven year so far, in part due to illness.
Stillman is a specific example of a general issue among Ontario Hockey League players. That league cancelled its season two years ago and played a very scattered schedule last year. The OHL normally is Canada's most well-represented league among its World Junior roster but when the evaluation camp roster was announced on Monday, just five of 29 players were from OHL teams. One of the reasons for the low representation is thought to be because of the disturbed schedule since the pandemic struck in March of 2020.
Canada is the defending champion, defeating Finland in overtime on home ice in Edmonton. Sweden beat Hauser's Czechia for bronze.
Russia and Belarus are also not represented this year. The IIHF has ruled both countries out of competition due to the war in Ukraine.
The U.S. team will play its games in Moncton and opens against Latvia on December 26.
