Right now, Youngstown native Joe Cecconi is participating in USA Hockey’s national junior evaluation camp in Plymouth, Mich., about a 20-minute drive from his college, the University of Michigan.
Come December, Cecconi, 19, will leave the Wolverines and wear the Team USA crest again in Buffalo, where he will skate in the national junior select camp. Cecconi, who will start his sophomore season soon, earned an invite thanks to a strong showing at the evaluation camp.
The roster for the U.S. world junior championship squad is chosen from the select camp.
Cecconi, a defenseman the Dallas Stars drafted in the fifth round, 133rd overall, in 2015, had zero goals and seven points as a freshman at Michigan. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound prospect is developing a reputation for his defensive prowess.
Sabres defense prospect Casey Fitzgerald, the 86th overall pick June 25, also made the cut at the evaluation camp.
Our esteemed photographers Dan Hickling and Margaret Heath are there. Follow them for more cool pictures from the camp.
The national junior select camp will be held in Buffalo, according to NHL.com’s Mike Morreale.
