Having made the team last year, it was surprising to see Johnny Beecher among the final cuts for the Team USA World Juniors roster.
But it appears the reasoning isn't necessarily hockey-related.
Beecher's father told The Boston Globe's Matt Porter that the Boston Bruins 2019 first-rounder had tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday morning.
Wrote Porter: "Bill, told the Globe that his son was informed around 6 a.m. Saturday that his final test of camp came back positive. The 19-year-old left camp in Plymouth, Mich., traveling with teammate Thomas Bordeleau, and returned to his college campus in Michigan.
"Beecher took another rapid test at campus, about four hours after his WJC test result, his father said. That came back negative."
That obviously is a tough break for Beecher, who was in his final year of eligibility for World Juniors.
Two other Bruins prospects did, however, make their respective rosters. Defenseman Roman Bychkov (Russia) and Matias Mantykivi (Finland) both were tabbed for their squads.
