In the midst of the holiday season, USA Hockey announced on that Nick Schmaltz has been selected to for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships roster. The roster consists of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. This is Schmaltz’s second straight selection to Team USA. Schmaltz is the Blackhawks’ 2014 first-round draft pick out of the University of North Dakota. He was the 26th overall pick.
In last year’s tournament, Schmaltz registered one assist in five tournament appearances. Team USA finished fifth last season and hopes an expanded role for Schmaltz this time around will help the team.