For a while now, it has been known that Luke Tuch will be playing for Team USA at the upcoming World Championship. On Thursday, it was revealed that two other Hab prospects will participate in Sean Farrell and Lane Hutson.
Farrell’s inclusion shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The winger was a regular for the United States in the tournament last year, albeit in more of a limited role. Despite that, he still managed to pick up a pair of goals and four assists in ten games while averaging a little under 14 minutes per game.
With another full and productive college season under his belt and a decent showing in six NHL games down the stretch, Farrell should be in line for a bigger role this time around. He’ll be only one of two forwards that played in the event a year ago.
As for Hutson, he had a prolific season at the NCAA level to play his way up near the top of Montreal’s prospect depth chart. Even so and even with a roster that isn’t exactly loaded with proven players, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him have a limited role in this event. At 19, he’s the youngest player on the team so a spot on the third pairing or even as the seventh defender with power play time might be the role for him. Even so, getting some development time against pro-level competition can only help.
Tuch, meanwhile, will be representing his country for the first time and will get to do so with his brother, Alex, who plays for Buffalo and is by far the best player on the US roster. He recently completed his junior year with Boston University where he was teammates with Hutson. Montreal has one more year to decide on whether to sign him or lose his rights so a good showing in this event could go a long way towards earning himself an NHL deal.
The tournament will kick off next Friday in Finland and Latvia. At the moment, only one other Hab is known to be suiting up, Samuel Montembeault although others could become known as rosters are revealed.