Trio Of Blues Defensive Propsects Invited To Team USA's World Junior Summer Showcase

[TBone]

Trio Of Blues Defensive Propsects Invited To Team USA's World Junior Summer Showcase

By Julian Gaudio
The HockeyNews

Three St. Louis Blues 2026 NHL draft prospects will participate in Team USA’s 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase. St. Louis Blues defensive prospects Luke Schairer, Nick Bogas, and Landon Nycz have been invited to Team USA’s World Junior Summer Showcase roster.

The camp, which will feature practices and games between players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden, will be held July 26-Aug. 1 at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. It’s the first evaluation step for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The American roster is headlined by players like Seattle Kraken’s Chase Reid, Nashville Predators’ Wyatt Cullen, Pittsburgh Penguins’ Will Horcoff, and San Jose Sharks’ Brady Knowling. But also featured on the roster are a trio of Blues prospects.

Luke Schairer was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round, 75th overall, in the 2026 NHL Draft. Schairer is a 6-foot-3 right-handed defenseman set to play with the Peterborough Petes in the 2026-27 season. Schairer is a great skater who projects to be a shutdown defender with a solid NHL frame.

Landon Nycz, another defenseman, was drafted by the Blues one round later, in the fourth round, 107th overall. Nycz is a 6-foot-2, left-handed defender set to play his sophomore season with the University of Massachusetts next season. Nycz is also more of a defensive defenseman, but he was born in late 2007 and is entering his final year of world junior eligibility.

The final player invited to the camp is Nick Bogas. Bogas was taken in the fifth round, 139th overall, by the Blues in the 2026 NHL draft. Although he is listed at just six feet, Bogas is a physical defender who thrives on the defensive side of the puck.

At the moment, these three Blues prospects are the outside looking in for making the 2027 world junior roster, but strong camps could put them on the radar.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... r-showcase

[STL fan in MN]

Nycz probably has the best chance to make the team at this point. He’s 1 development year older than Schairer and Bogas. Assuming they bring 8 d-men to the WJC, I’d think he’d fit somewhere in the 5-8 range.

Schairer has a solid chance but I’d say he’s likely on the outside looking in at the moment.

I’d be surprised if Bogas made it. He was pretty low on the depth chart for the U18s so going to he hard to elevate himself and do so while moving up an age group as well.

[kimzey59]

Nycz probably has the best chance to make the team at this point. He’s 1 development year older than Schairer and Bogas. Assuming they bring 8 d-men to the WJC, I’d think he’d fit somewhere in the 5-8 range.

Schairer has a solid chance but I’d say he’s likely on the outside looking in at the moment.

I’d be surprised if Bogas made it. He was pretty low on the depth chart for the U18s so going to he hard to elevate himself and do so while moving up an age group as well.

I doubt Schairer makes the cut.
9 of the 16 D men invited are righties(some pretty big names in the group also: Reid, Tretheway, Brzustewicz, Fiddler, Amico, Runtso).

Conversely, Nycz and Bogas might have a better chance than you think for the same reason. And the lefties that were invited are largely a group of "meh"(Rombach is the only lefty of note).

[STL fan in MN]

Nycz probably has the best chance to make the team at this point. He’s 1 development year older than Schairer and Bogas. Assuming they bring 8 d-men to the WJC, I’d think he’d fit somewhere in the 5-8 range.

Schairer has a solid chance but I’d say he’s likely on the outside looking in at the moment.

I’d be surprised if Bogas made it. He was pretty low on the depth chart for the U18s so going to he hard to elevate himself and do so while moving up an age group as well.

I doubt Schairer makes the cut.
9 of the 16 D men invited are righties(some pretty big names in the group also: Reid, Tretheway, Brzustewicz, Fiddler, Amico, Runtso).

Conversely, Nycz and Bogas might have a better chance than you think for the same reason. And the lefties that were invited are largely a group of "meh"(Rombach is the only lefty of note).

Yeah, that’s why I said he was on the outside looking in at the moment. He seemed to mostly be used as USA’s #1 most of the time at the U18s though so if there’s an ‘08 that might have a chance to win a RD spot from one of the ‘07s, it’s probably him. But agree, odds aren’t super great. And also, you forgot Tommy Bleyl. He’ll make the team.

And agree, the left side being weaker is why I think Nycz will likely make it. He’s also an ‘07. I just don’t think Bogas will make it but we’ll see.

[son_of_foolsgold]

Nycz probably has the best chance to make the team at this point. He’s 1 development year older than Schairer and Bogas. Assuming they bring 8 d-men to the WJC, I’d think he’d fit somewhere in the 5-8 range.

Schairer has a solid chance but I’d say he’s likely on the outside looking in at the moment.

I’d be surprised if Bogas made it. He was pretty low on the depth chart for the U18s so going to he hard to elevate himself and do so while moving up an age group as well.

I doubt Schairer makes the cut.
9 of the 16 D men invited are righties(some pretty big names in the group also: Reid, Tretheway, Brzustewicz, Fiddler, Amico, Runtso).

Conversely, Nycz and Bogas might have a better chance than you think for the same reason. And the lefties that were invited are largely a group of "meh"(Rombach is the only lefty of note).

Yeah, that’s why I said he was on the outside looking in at the moment. He seemed to mostly be used as USA’s #1 most of the time at the U18s though so if there’s an ‘08 that might have a chance to win a RD spot from one of the ‘07s, it’s probably him. But agree, odds aren’t super great. And also, you forgot Tommy Bleyl. He’ll make the team.

And agree, the left side being weaker is why I think Nycz will likely make it. He’s also an ‘07. I just don’t think Bogas will make it but we’ll see.

It'd be Bogus if Bogas doesn't make it.