GRAND FORKS — Canada's World Junior Championship roster is typically littered with players from Canadian major junior leagues.
College players have not traditionally been a staple.
That's why it's notable that Hockey Canada has added UND incoming freshman forward Dylan James to its World Junior summer development camp.
The camp is scheduled from July 23-27 in Calgary, which is James' hometown.
Of the 49 players invited to the camp, only four are college-bound — James, forward Adam Fantilli (Michigan), forward Ryan Greene (Boston University) and defenseman Corson Ceulemans (Wisconsin).
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The World Juniors will be held from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B.
James is currently at development camp with the Detroit Red Wings, who selected him in the second round, No. 40 overall, in last week's NHL Draft. James will be the highest-drafted player on UND's roster this season.
Last season, James led the Sioux City Musketeers to a Clark Cup as United States Hockey League champions. During the regular season, he tallied 61 points in 62 games and won the league's rookie of the year honor.
Since Jonathan Toews won back-to-back golds in 2006 and 2007, only two UND players have represented Canada in the World Juniors — Tyson Jost won silver in 2017 and Jacob Bernard-Docker won gold in 2020.
Three UND players will be getting a look from Team USA for the World Juniors — sophomore defenseman Brent Johnson, freshman forward Jackson Blake and freshman forward Owen McLaughlin.
They'll all participate in USA Hockey's evaluation camp from July 24-Aug. 3 in Plymouth, Mich.
UND junior defenseman Tyler Kleven is expected to participate in the summer World Juniors, which was postponed from January. That tournament is slated for Aug. 9-20 in Edmonton.
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