On October 25, 2021, Great Britain U20 Head Coach Martin Grubb announced one of the strongest rosters in recent memory.

Not only is the 22 man squad full of incredible talent but there is also considerable depth in the reserve list containing players such as Archie Hazeldine, Jack Brammer and James Spence.

Great Britain will travel to Romania in December to compete in Division II, Group A of the 2022 World Championships.

A six-team group includes hosts Romania, Italy, Korea, Lithuania and Spain.

With this roster and level of competition, it’s no hyperbole to say that Great Britain should be gunning for gold and promotion.

The depth and quality of the roster begin between the pipes.

Goaltenders

Lucas Brine is set to be Great Britain’s number one goaltender in this tournament.

The 19-year-old has spent the last six years developing his skills in North America.

For the majority of the previous three seasons, Brine had played for New Hampton in USHS Prep Hockey and put up impressive statistics after his rookie year.

Now in the NCAA III with Arcadia University, Brine will have to fight for ice-time against the more experienced and older netminder Fletcher Bolda.

This will be the second occasion for the Oxshott native to represent GB, having featured for the U18’s in the 2019 World Championships

Daniel Crowe’s inclusion in this squad is something of a Birthday present for the young man.

Crowe will turn 18 years of age during the tournament in what will be his first-ever World Championships appearance.

The Newcastle native has been playing in the United States since 2016, primarily in the mid-west.

What will stand Crowe in good stead if Martin Grubb calls upon him to play, is that the young netminder has already had a busy workload this year. At the time of writing, he’s posted a combined .920 save percentage and recorded four shutouts through fifteen games for Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U AAA.

Defense

A product of Nottingham’s youth system until 20217, Aren Francis then took the step of continuing his career in Canada for two seasons.

The blueliner captained New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs 16U the following season whilst also taking the step up to play for the U18’s in a couple of games, including one playoff tilt.

The 18-year-old is currently developing with Boston Hockey Academy 18U AAA and is wearing an “A” for his new team.

This will be his first time representing Great Britain.

Bradley Bowering will be looking to replicate his form the last time he suited up in national colours.

Not only was he fourth in GB scoring during the 2019 World Championships for the U18’s, but the defenseman was also named as the best player on the team.

The 19-year-old is a product of the Peterborough junior system and is currently playing with the Phantoms in the NIHL.

As is often the way, when young British hockey players head to play overseas, very little is known about their development curve or even the standard of the leagues they are competing in.

Originally from Scotland, Calum McGill has been in Canada since 2018, beginning with the Okanagan Hockey Academy.

The 18-year-old previously played in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and is currently with Kam River Fighting Walleye of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.

There is a brief interview talking to Calum and his head coach at this link https://www.saultthisweek.com/sports/local-sports/from-scotland-to-junior-hockey-in-kam-river

With the greatest of respect to the rest of this roster, Liam Steele is the most fascinating name amongst the group. 

Being added to the NHL Central Scouting Rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL Entry Draft is certainly a huge factor.

The 18-year-old blueliner has been turning heads amongst scouts for a while now.

These world championships will provide a chance for the GB rookie to prove himself amongst his peers.

For more on Liam Steele please check out the Hockey from Across the Pond podcast episode dated October 31 https://anchor.fm/mark-rackham and this article https://wp.me/p2gDti-1hq

The most experienced defenseman on the roster is Liam Stenton.

This will be the 19-year-olds third World Championships having previously represented GB at the U18 and U20 levels.

A Solway native, Stenton has been a part of his home team’s junior set-up up until this point.

The defenseman has ten games of experience in the EIHL with Glasglow Clan and played in sixteen games for Nottingham Panthers through the EIHL Streaming Series

Rhodes Mitchell-King is another GB youngster to have opted to head overseas to continue their development.

Mitchell-King came through the junior ranks in Coventry before moving to Canada.

The defenseman should have been playing Prep-School hockey last season through the washed-out campaign due to the pandemic.

The 18-year-old is now competing in the USPHL Premier Division with Wisconsin Rapid Riverkings. 

At the time of writing WRR sits second in the Mid-West West Division. Mitchell-King has recorded four points, including a single goal, in thirteen games.

Towering blueliner Sam Cooper has barely played any hockey since 2021. He’s making huge strides, however, having already suited up for Guildford Flames in the EIHL during this current campaign.

He’s not spoken about in the same tones as Steele or Stenton but there is potential for Cooper, still, just 17 years of age, to develop into an exciting defenseman.

Forwards

The first name that strikes you on this roster is 18-year-old Alex Graham. It feels like the Sheffield native has been around forever such has been the discourse surrounding his career.

If circumstances were different, Graham would currently be plying his trade in the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara IceDogs.

Instead, the left-winger is back in the UK, tearing up the NIHL as his way and receiving the odd opportunity to play in the Elite League when Sheffield deems it fit their needs.

Graham has enjoyed himself at the international level in Great Britain colours.

He has played in one U18 and U20 World Championships to date, recording a combined fourteen points in ten games.

Now an older, stronger and more experienced player, I expect a potential leader for this team to hit the double-figure mark in points and lead the way offensively for GB.

Welsh forward Bayley Harewood has made a great start to the 2021-22 campaign.

Not only does he have six points in seven games for Bracknell Bees, but he has also gotten in some Champions Hockey League action! The Cardiff Devils entrusted the rookie with one game in the CHL and dressed him for a pair of Challenge Cup games.

That experience will hold the centreman in good stead for his first-ever World Championships appearance.

Swindon Wildcats team-mates Cain Russell and Oliver Endicott are the least experienced forwards on the roster. Russell is a winger and a product of the Basingstoke youth system, whilst Endicott has worked his way through the ranks at Swindon.

Both will be making their international debut at this tournament.

Jack Goodchild is another player making his way through the ranks in Swindon, playing his first full season in the NIHL. The Winchester native can play both wings and is also making his GB junior debut, albeit at the age of nineteen.

Kent native Owen Dell opted to head overseas for the first time in his career this season, the 19-year-old is in Pennsylvania with the Hershey Cubs of the USPHL.

The Cubs have struggled this season, winning just five of eighteen games but Dell is one of the team’s leading offensive producers.

The rookie has six goals and nine points through seventeen outings.

A product of the Invicta youth system, Dell will make his international debut in this tournament.

The second forward to be playing in North America is Logan Neilson.

The 18-year-old headed to Canada in 2017 and has since spent his development years in America playing at the AAA level.

Neilson has barely played at the time of writing featuring in six NCDC games for Jersey Hitmen (5) and Northern Cyclones (1). I could find no information as to whether he has struggled with injury or opportunities.

A trio of Telford players also makes it into the squad.

Finley Howells is a product of the Tigers youth system.

The 18yo left-winger has stepped up from his previous NIHL campaign and is developing well as shown by his almost point per game pace at the time of writing.

Another to come through the youth system in Telford is Sam Watkins. That surname is synonymous with the Tigers and the 17-year-old certainly has a lot to live up to. 

A centreman by trade, Watkins has established himself outside of the junior set-up now and is a full-time member of the NIHL team, producing at 0.5PPG pace at the time of writing.

I am a huge fan of Jack Hopkins and anyone who follows me on social media will be aware of that fact. He’s a hugely talented 17-year old who showed he could hang in german junior hockey last season. I would argue that he would benefit from being overseas this season instead of bouncing between the NIHL and playing extremely limited minutes with the Nottingham Panthers.

Training with an EIHL club is beneficial for sure but not at the expense of regular playing time against his peers in a league that will challenge him.

Hopkins is one of the standout forward names on the roster and there are lots of line combinations he could be a part of that will set the heart racing with excitement.

Another forward with limited minutes in the Elite League this season is Nathan Ripley.

Ripley has one game to his name for the Coventry Blaze in the challenge cup but has otherwise suited up for the Sheffield Steeldogs.

The 19-year-old is in his first full NIHL season and is recording around a 0.5PPG pace this year.

Having bounced around a few UK junior teams, Zaine McKenzie is playing his rookie season in the NIHL with Milton Keynes Lightning.

Having returned from a Canadian journey program, the right-winger is looking to make an impact on home soil and a first time representing Great Britain.

Last but not least is Bracknell Bees right-winger, Juha Lindgren.

The eighteen-year-old has the potential to be something of a springer for Great Britain, having impressed throughout his junior career without being able to take the next step for a variety of reasons.

Lindgren has six goals and nine points for the Bees in twelve league games this year.

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