Brock Boeser, the University of North Dakota star taken 23rd overall by Vancouver in 2015, will miss the upcoming world junior hockey championship with a wrist injury, the school announced on Wednesday.
Boeser was one of the 27 players named to the U.S.'s preliminary roster, but will now undergo surgery on Wednesday and be out of action until January.
The 19-year-old tried to play through the injury and did have success, scoring seven goals and 16 points through 13 games. He’d missed the last five contests trying to rehab.
The loss is a big one for UND, and the American junior squad. Boeser has proven to be a terrific goal-scorer at the NCAA level -- last year, as a freshman, he scored 27 times in 42 games and captured the NCHC’s rookie of the year award.
Boeser was also part of the U.S. squad that captured bronze at last year’s tourney, finishing with three points in seven games.
As for the Canucks, well, Boeser wasn’t in their plans for this season, but it’s never good to learn one of your prized prospects has been injured. It adds to what’s already been a rough 24 hours for the club.
