COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Five incoming National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) freshmen have been invited to participate in the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase with Team USA, as USA Hockey announced a roster of 47 players on Tuesday. In addition, three future or committed NCHC players were tabbed to the U.S. team.
 
The five incoming rookies on the U.S. roster will represent four different NCHC teams. Forward Mikey Berchild and defenseman Blake Fiddler will both suit up for Denver this fall, while forward Victor Plante joins his brothers at Minnesota Duluth. Miami defenseman Timofei Runtso and North Dakota forward Cooper Simpson round out the NCHC quintet that will wear the Stars and Stripes later this month. Former Arizona State forward Cullen Potter is also on the U.S. squad. To see the full U.S. World Junior Summer Showcase roster, click here.
 
The 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, which serves as an evaluation for 2027 World Junior Championship rosters, will run from Sunday, July 26 through Saturday, Aug. 1 at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. Along with Team USA, Canada, Finland and Sweden will also bring teams to compete at the World Junior Summer Showcase, with 10 international games, as well as practices, held throughout the week. The full schedule can be seen here.
 
The 47-man U.S. roster for the World Junior Summer Showcase includes 26 forwards, 16 defensemen and five goaltenders. Among the five incoming NCHC freshmen, three are forwards and two are blueliners. Three of the five NCHC rookies hail from Minnesota (Berchild, Plante, Simpson), with 13 players on the U.S. roster from the State of Hockey. Runtso is one of three on the team from California and Fiddler is one of two from Texas.
 
Additional NCHC players may take part in the World Junior Summer Showcase with Canada, Sweden or Finland once those rosters are announced.
 
Berchild (Excelsior, Minn.) heads to Denver after two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program (NTDP), totaling 108 points (54g/54a) in 123 games with the NTDP. This past season, he compiled 23 goals and 30 assists in 58 games with the U.S. Under-18 team. The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick skated in five games as an alternate captain in the 2026 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship for Team USA, recording four goals and two assists. He was named one of the top three players on the U.S. squad. Berchild won bronze with the U.S. U-18 Team at the 2025 U-18 World Championship.
 
Fiddler (Frisco, Texas), who will join Berchild at Denver, is a second round draft pick of the Seattle Kraken, selected 36th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. He spent three years with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL), totaling 84 points (26g/58a) in 190 career regular-season games. Fiddler was an assistant captain for the Oil Kings this past year, racking up 36 points (11g/25a) in 63 games. Along with Berchild, he helped Team USA win bronze at the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Championship.
 
Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) will be a UMD freshman this coming season after spending the last two years with the U.S. NTDP. He tallied 21 goals and 48 points in 57 games over the 2025-26 season with the U.S. Under-18 squad. Most recently, Plante competed with Team USA in the 2026 IIHF U-18 Men's World Championship. In five games, the Detroit Red Wings draft pick recorded a goal and four assists in the tournament. Plante was taken in the second round with pick No. 47 overall by the Red Wings in the 2026 NHL Draft, the same pick and team his brother Max was taken by in 2024.
 
Runtso (Playa Vista, Calif.) will be a freshman at Miami in 2026-27. He spent last season with the Victoria Royals in the WHL, putting up 44 points (11g/33a) in 68 games. The Montreal Canadiens second round draft pick in 2026 was also named NAHL Central Division Rookie of the Year in 2024-25 after a 27-point season with the St. Cloud Norsemen.
 
Simpson will join the Fighting Hawks in 2026-27 after a dominant season with Youngstown in the USHL, where he scored 34 goals and dished out 40 assists for 74 points. He was a finalist for USHL Forward of the Year and USHL Player of the Year, and is a third round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2025.
 
The 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place from Dec. 26, 2026 through Jan. 5, 2027 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. The final U.S. National Junior Team roster will be announced closer to the tournament in December.
 
Incoming NCHC Players on 2026 U.S. World Junior Summer Showcase Roster

• Mikey Berchild, Denver, F (Excelsior, Minn.)
• Blake Fiddler, Denver, D (Frisco, Texas)
• Victor Plante, Minnesota Duluth, F (Hermantown, Minn.)
• Timofei Runtso, Miami, D (Playa Vista, Calif.)
• Cooper Simpson, North Dakota, F (Shakopee, Minn.)