Portland Winterhawks forward Paul Bittner is one of 29 players selected to USA Hockey’s preliminary roster for the 2016 U.S. National Junior Team.
The players will attend training camp Dec. 14-18 at Boston University followed by an additional camp in Vierumaki, Finland, from Dec. 19-24. The final 23-man roster is expected to be named by Dec. 24.
Team USA will compete in the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5, in Helsinki, Finland.
Bittner, 19, from Crookston, Minn., is one of just three WHL players on the preliminary roster. He attended USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp in August.
He’s currently tied for second in team scoring with 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 25 games this season. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
