Will Zellers rides skill, tenacity, and a little bit of luck to Team USA selection

Will Zellers has been steadily rising since the Boston Bruins acquired him in the deal for Charlie Coyle. Zellers was the USHL MVP last season and has shown he can keep up with older competition after his hot start at the University of North Dakota. With all the good things happening in the Bruins' prospect group, Zellers could be the most promising, given the opinion on him when they acquired him.

Despite not initially receiving an invite to Team USA's World Juniors camp, Zellers earned a late spot thanks to his production at North Dakota. He has shown an elite scoring touch on the team as a freshman, and also has a high motor and gritty style when needed. He'd be the perfect addition to a bottom-six for a best-on-best international tournament.

Zellers made a great first impression with a three-point performance against Team Germany in the team's first pre-tournament game. He started on the fourth line, but slowly worked his way up and even received some powerplay opportunities. While Zellers was in an uphill battle to make the team, it was hard to justify him not making it after that performance.

Will Zellers rides skill, tenacity, and a little bit of luck to Team USA selection

The luck part came in an unfortunate situation for Trevor Connelly. He is a player that some Bruins fans are familiar with, as he was a proposed target when the Bruins received a first-round pick in the Linus Ullmark trade. Connelly is a highly-skilled forward who would've likely played a role on Team USA's powerplay, but an injury will cause him to miss the tournament.

Once Connelly was out for the roster, many looked at Zellers as the potential replacement, considering how easily he could slide into a powerplay role. Once Team USA had him skating on the second powerplay unit at practice, it was almost a guarantee that he would be on the roster.

Team USA finalized the roster on Wednesday morning, confirming that Zellers had stolen a spot on the team. With James Hagens also anchoring the team's forward group, Bruins fans will have a vested interest in the World Junior Championships this year as Team USA chases a third-consecutive gold medal.