U.S. Collegiate Selects team to return for two more Spengler Cups
After an exceptional performance in its first appearance, one group is set to participate in the Spengler Cup for the foreseeable future.
On Thursday, the tournament Organizing Committee announced that the U.S. Collegiate Selects team will be part of the 2026 and 2027 Spengler Cups.
✍🇺🇸 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 The @USCollegeSelect will take part in the next two editions of the #SpenglerCup. The Organizing Committee has signed a two-year agreement together with representatives of the NCAA selection. #ThePeakOfHockey
Organizing Committee President Marc Gianola noted that the young crop of talent added another element to one of international hockey’s most legendary tournaments.
“We are once again looking forward to exciting and refreshing hockey,” Gianola said in a release. “The ‘college boys’ bring new energy and a positive spirit to our traditional tournament.”
The U.S. Collegiate Selects is a team solely comprised of players competing in the NCAA. They made their debut this past December in Davos, Switzerland, generating both excitement and praise from fans attending the tournament and around the game as a whole. Despite losing to Canada in its first game, the USCS defeated Davos and Sparta Praha to reach the final. However, the Cinderella run came to an end in the final, as the college kids fell to host Davos, 6-3.
The team was comprised of many of the NCAA’s best players who weren’t participating at the IIHF World Junior Championship at the same time. 17 of the 25 rostered players had NHL ties, including Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Zam Plante (Minnesota Duluth) and San Jose Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp (Denver). Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink (Penn State) led the team with four goals and eight points in the four contests. Adam Gajan (Minnesota Duluth) was the lone goaltender to play two games for the USCS and has since earned his entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Along the USCS, Davos, Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League, and the SCL Tigers of the National League in Switzerland, are confirmed to be part of the 98th edition of the Spengler Cup, with Canada expected to return and one more team yet to be announced. The tournament traditionally begins on Dec. 26, with the final taking place on New Year’s Eve.