Not that defending national champion Denver needed more validation that its freshman class from 2021-22 was strong, but it received some more this week from USA Hockey.

Four rising sophomores – forwards Carter Mazur and Jack Devine and defensemen Sean Behrens and Shai Buium – have been invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in late July at Plymouth, Mich. The quartet are among 60 players, mainly from 2003-04 birth years, invited to the camp, which is the first step in selecting Team USA’s entry for the 2023 World Junior Championships.

This is old hat for Mazur and Behrens, who made the 2022 team, although Behrens could not participate last winter due to Covid protocols. That 2022 tourney was halted after a broader Covid outbreak and will take place from Aug. 9-20 at Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

The 2023 event takes place from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 on the opposite end of Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick.

However many of the Denver players are selected, and all four have a decent chance, they likely would miss only DU’s opening series of 2023 – a home date with Alaska Fairbanks.

The quartet are four of DU’s top six returning scorers. Mazur was the NCHC Rookie of the Year after piling up 38 points (14 goals), and Behrens (29 points) and Buium (18 points) were on the league’s all-rookie team with Massimo Rizzo (36 points, 12 goals).

Devine tallied 19 points and is strong possibility to be drafted in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in July. Ranked the 65th North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, Devine projects to be a third-round draft choice if that rating holds true.

Devine could have plenty of company from Pioneers recruits on draft day.

He also would join Mazur (Detroit, 2021), Buium (Detroit, 2021), Behrens (Colorado, 2021) and Rizzo (Carolina, 2019) as NHL draft choices.

©First Line Editorial 2022