World Junior Hockey: 3 NCAA Players Named Captains for Team USA

The leadership group for Team USA at the 2017 World Junior Championship will feature three current college hockey players.

Wisconsin sophomore center Luke Kunin will serve as captain. The 2016 first round pick of the Minnesota Wild has 11 goals and six assists in 16 games played this season as captain of the Badgers. A native of Chesterfield, Mo., Kunin wore a letter in both of his seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP).

Serving as alternate captains are Boston University sophomore defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Boston College sophomore center Colin White. McAvoy, selected in the first round by the Boston Bruins in this past summer’s NHL Draft, is a puck-moving blue liner who will be counted on to log significant minutes. White missed two games due to symptoms of a concussion, but has 10 goals and seven assists for the Eagles. Both McAvoy and White represented the U.S. in last year’s tournament.