One UMass defenseman got good news and the other got disappointment when Team Canada announced its roster for the World Junior Championships Friday.
Cale Makar made the roster and will be on the squad when play begins Dec. 26 in Buffalo, New York. Mario Ferraro appears to have been the last defenseman cut despite drawing praise for his play throughout this week’s selection camp.
Makar is one of three NCAA players to make the Canadian squad joining Colgate goalie Colton Point and Boston University defenseman Dante Fabro. That’s an unusually high number as just three college players have worn the maple leaf in the last five World Junior Tournaments combined.
The round-robin portion runs until Dec. 31. Medal play begins Jan. 2 and runs until Jan. 5. Canada and USA play each other in a 3 p.m. outdoor game at New Era Field on Dec. 29. The NHL Network will carry the entire tournament in the United States.
UMass is off until the new year. Depending how far Canada advances, Makar could miss as many as two games — Jan. 5 at Yale and Jan. 6 at UMass Lowell.
Ferraro was a surprise addition to the selection camp roster. Players at American colleges who weren’t invited to Hockey Canada’s summer camp are rarely included.
Ferraro’s chances were hurt when the Montreal Canadiens loaned defenseman Victor Mete to Hockey Canada for the event. Ferraro did draw praise from Canadian hockey guru Bob McKenzie of TSN (Canada’s all-sports network):
McKenzie tweeted during a selection came game:
“Most noticeable player, in a good way, for Team CAN in first period was defenceman Mario Ferraro (SJ/UMass-Amherst). Quick, assertive, tenacious, with and without the puck.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage