Team USA has made final cuts to their training camp roster for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship and Washington Capitals 2022 second round draft pick Ryan Chesley, who was selected for Team USA’s preliminary training camp on December 5th, has survived the final round of cuts.
Team USA now has 25 players on their roster. The IIHF has made a provision for this year’s championship to allow for two more players in addition to the typical 23-man roster that has been allowed in years past. Therefore, Team USA’s roster is essentially set.
Team USA currently has eight defenseman (above) on their 25-man provisional roster, so Chesley is not assured of a starting role in their first game against Latvia on December 26. [Full Roster Here]
Just got off the phone with a USAH official to clarify: 25 players can be credentialed. Only max of 23 can be registered at a time. If a player is injured or ill, they can be replaced by one of the credentialed extras, but cannot return to the tournament once replaced.
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) December 16, 2022
Chesley is a 6’-0″ right-shot defenseman in his debut season with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Men’s team. He scored his first goal for the team just days before departing for Team USA’s training camp.
His first #Gophers goal 🥲
And in the #BorderBattle no less 😎 @ryanchesley_ pic.twitter.com/6gh3iTWwAt
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) December 10, 2022
A native of Mahtomedi, Minnesota, he had stints with Shattuck-St. Mary’s Development program and the United States National Team Development Program, with whom he recorded 44 points in 85 games played with the U.S. Development team and National Under-18 Team.
Rand Pecknold on @ryanchesley_: “He fits well in the style we’re going to play. He’s been great here for two days . . . He’s trending in the right direction. He’s a man. He plays hard. Great shot. He’s got that physicality. He plays bigger than his size. I’ve been really happy.”
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 13, 2022
In August, Chesley spoke about his experience during the Capitals’ prospect development camp, calling it a “fun week.” “It’s been awesome getting here, getting to know the guys, getting to know the staff, and getting on the ice with them…I knew it was going to be a hard time here, just a lot of work, it’s been a grind so far, but it’s been fun. A lot of the on-ice stuff has been challenging, which is good. I think it’s really helpful.”
2023 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 47th edition of the Championship is scheduled to be held from December 26, 2022, through January 5, 2023, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The 10-nation tournament features the world’s best men’s players under 20 years of age and is a 31-game event that takes place over the course of 10 days.
Team USA will play a pair of pre-tournament exhibition games in New Brunswick before their first real WJC game on Monday, Dec. 26, versus Latvia in Moncton, New Brunswick. The gold medal game is on Thursday, Jan. 5, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Americans will be seeking their fifth medal in the past seven tournaments. Since the World Juniors began in the 1970s, Team USA has claimed gold five times, most recently in 2021.
By Jon Sorensen
Check Out More on Chesley
Capitals College Credits: Mitchell Gibson Remains Undefeated, Brent Johnson Scores First Of The Season
Capitals’ Collegiate Prospects Start Their 2022-23 Season
“I’m Just Really Looking Forward To Next Season”: Capitals’ 2022 Second-Round Pick Ryan Chesley Talks About His Experience at Development Camp and the 2022-23 Season
Capital Gains: Washington Capitals’ Once “Shallow” Prospect Pool Finally Gaining Depth
Blueline Pipeline: Review Of Capitals Organizational Depth On Defense Following 2022 NHL Entry Draft And Free Agency
Preliminary Prospect Roster And Organizational Depth Chart For The 2022-23 Washington Capitals
Capitals Select Defenseman Ryan Chesley With Second Round Pick Of 2022 NHL Entry Draft
Do work, Ryno!
Congratulations, Ryan. And with some college teammates, too, like Logan Cooley.
I keep wanting to call him Bucky since I had a HS classmate named Bucky Chesley. (His real given name was Richard.)
I’m really excited about this Chelsey. He is the heaviest dee and second tallest. So good size for this roster and he skates well. Make some noise Ryan!