2 surprising Bruins omissions from Team USA's preliminary World Juniors roster

Team USA has a unique opportunity to win its third consecutive World Junior Championship Gold Medal this year. The third one would be special, considering it'll happen in the State of Hockey in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. One Boston Bruins prospect who will undoubtedly have a say in whether the team wins their third straight, and second straight for him, is last year's first-round pick, James Hagens.

It looked like the Bruins might get some more prospects on the list, given a recent roster prediction on social media. However, Will Zellers and Elliott Groenewold were left off the preliminary roster, which includes 15 forwards, 10 defensemen, and three goalies.

Zellers and Groenewold were long shots to make the roster, but Zellers' goalscoring at the University of North Dakota so far this season looked like it could be a valuable asset for Team USA. The World Juniors can be a tight-checking affair in the medal rounds, and you've seen countless times where it ends up being a bottom-six skill guy who scores the winning goal after not being one of the main pieces all tournament. It felt like that role could've fit Zellers perfectly.

Team USA's management group felt differently, and it's hard to argue with their selections up front. The world's hockey powers always have formidable rosters to crack, and you see every level of hockey feature great players who are left off their national teams because of various reasons. It's disappointing, but not an indictment on Zellers' future as a prospect.

One player Causeway Crowd circled as another long shot to make Team USA this year was William Moore. There was a chance that he could impress some people at Boston College and crack the roster, but ironically, the play of Dean Letourneau pushed Moore down the Eagles' lineup and likely ended any chance he had of making it. The good news is that Moore will get another year to figure it out for 2027.

Despite an improving prospect pool, it looks like the Bruins could be low on talent at this year's World Junior Championship. The focus now shifts to the Czechia training camp and whether Vashek Blanar can steal a spot on their blueline.