Brock Faber named alternate captain for Team USA

Team USA announced their leadership group ahead of the 2022 World Juniors, and LA Kings prospect Brock Faber has been named an alternate captain.

Brock Faber has been named an alternate captain for Team USA #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/epQKHnNxlG

— Hockey Royalty (@Hockey_Royalty) December 21, 2021

Here’s the official press release from Team USA Hockey:

RED DEER, Alberta – Defenseman Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont./University of North Dakota) has been named captain of the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team it was announced today by USA Hockey. 

In addition, defenseman Brock Faber (Maple Grove, Minn./University of Minnesota), and forwards Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass./University of Michigan) and Landon Slaggert (South Bend, Ind./University of Notre Dame) were named alternate captains of the squad. All four players were members of the gold-medal winning 2021 U.S. National Junior Team. 

“The strength of this team is its leadership and we have a group of guys that have earned the letter on their jersey both on and off the ice,” said head coach Nate Leaman (East Greenwich, R.I./Providence College). “There are even more leaders in our locker room. We’re excited about this group overall, and for us to be successful, every player will need to find a way to lead.” 

Team USA will begin play in the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship on Sunday (Dec. 26) in Red Deer, Alberta, against Slovakia. Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on NHL Network. 

ABOUT FABER: Faber is playing in his second season at the University of Minnesota, after playing two seasons at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. In addition to his gold-medal winning performance at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship last season, Faber was also a member of the Big Ten champion Gopher squad. A second-round selection by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft, Faber played youth hockey with the Minnesota Blades organization. 

It’s a well-deserved honor for Faber, who, as noted, will be participating in his second straight World Juniors tournament. Last year, he quickly became a reliable defender for head coach Nate Leaman, tallying five assists while helping Team USA win the gold medal.

The 19-year-old was off to a strong sophomore season at the University of Minnesota, accumulating nine points in 18 games.

Faber and Team USA will have their only exhibition game against Kasper Simontaival, Samuel Helenius and Team Finland on Thursday.

WJC Exhibition Schedule, 30-Game Mark Analytics, and Other LA Kings Bullets