The 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase (WJSS) will run from July 26 to August 3, 2024, at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Two squads representing the United States (USA White and USA Blue) will participate, as well as one apiece from Canada, Sweden, and Finland.
There are no medals handed out at the WJSS. It's strictly a preparatory tourney, in which the participating national hockey federations evaluate candidates for the IIHF Under-20 World Championship (World Junior Championships) prior to the start of the season. Selection camps for the final WJC rosters are held in early December.
The World Junior Summer Showcase format involves a series of nine exhibition games. USA Hockey will divide its large roster -- 25 forwards, 16 defensemen and five goaltenders -- into separate USA Blue and USA White squads. USA White and USA Blue will each play one game apiece against Team Sweden and Team Finland.
Thereafter, the two American sides will be combined into a single Team USA squad for its final three games. Team USA will then play Finland (July 31), Sweden (August 2), and Canada (Aug. 3).
Team Canada will arrive in Plymouth after the other participating teams, holding its first practice on August 1. Before playing against Team USA, the Canadians have an Aug. 2 game against Finland. There is no Canada vs. Sweden game on the schedule. Sweden opposes traditional archrival Finland on Aug. 3, prior to the Canada-USA finale.
Seven Flyers prospects have been named to their respective national team rosters: Denver Barkey (RW, Canada), Jack Berglund (C, Sweden), Carson Bjarnason (G, Canada), Oliver Bonk (D, Canada), Jett Luchanko (C, Canada), Noah Powell (RW, USA), Carter Sotheran (D, Canada).
The number of Flyers-affiliated prospects at the 2024 WJSS figures will officially grow to eight when the Finnish Ice Hockey Association formally announces Team Finland's WJSS roster. Center Heikki Ruohonen, the Flyers' fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, is one of 12 forwards slated to participate at Team Finland's pre-WJSS camp in Vierumäki from July 20 to 24.
Bonk, the latter of the Flyers' two 2023 first-round picks, played in last year's World Junior Championships. Barkey was a late cut in the Selection Camp in December 2023. Cole Knuble (C, USA) and Devin Kaplan (RW, USA) did not make the Selection Camp phase for Team USA after participating in the 2023 WJSS. Kaplan and Knuble have both since aged out of World Junior Championships eligibility.
