LANDSHUT, GERMANY - Team USA takes the ice for its first game at the U18 Men’s Worlds in Germany today following a shootout loss to Sweden and a win against Finland in pre-tournament play. Two players, forward Devin Kaplan and goalie Tyler Muszelik, have ties to the Atlantic Affiliate.

Devin Kaplan played with the North Jersey Avalanche for three seasons before progressing to the USNTDP Junior program. During his 16U season, he played 12 games and managed to earn 22 points with five goals and 17 assists.

This season in the USNTDP he played in 22 games, with 18 points across the season. A major milestone in his playing career, Kaplan also announced that he committed to play Division-I hockey for the Boston University Terriers starting in the 2022-23 season.

Kaplan was ranked in the top 30 NHL prospects in 2019 even though he does not score a lot of goals. According to NBC Sports, he is considered to have so much potential when he is in college to make his presence felt on the ice and increase his chances of getting a high draft pick. Kaplan also plays a tremendously physical game, earning a penalty record along the way.

Joining Kaplan is star goaltender Tyler Muszelik. A New Jersey native, he has had an outstanding career leading up to the U18 World Roster. This past season, he had a .900 save percentage with a 3.08 goals against average. He had a total of three shutouts after playing for two teams with a 32-8-4 record in the crease.

Muszelik also made a Division-I hockey commitment to University of New Hampshire, another team out of the Hockey East.

In his amateur career, Muszelik has six shutouts, a 55-32-6 record, and a 2-0-0 playoff record. He also has a 0.878 save percentage and a 3.36 goals against average in his career. Although these numbers may not jump right off the page, he still has the potential to have an incredible resume once he graduates from college.

The U18 Men’s Worlds roster has future stars from the Atlantic Affiliate who will be taking the international stage for high-level competition.