EDMONTON, Alberta – Vermont men's hockey will be well represented at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships which begin tomorrow at the Edmonton Oilers home rink Rogers Place. Sophomore Oilers draft picks Joel Määttä and Luca Münzenberger will be joined by incoming first year Ralfs Bergmanis at the tournament. All games of the tournament which runs August 9-20 will air live on the NHL Network in the United States.
 
Bergmanis, a native of Liepaja, Latvia, is coming off a very successful 2021-22 campaign with the Sioux City Musketeers winning the USHL's Clark Cup. Including the playoffs Bergmanis played in 50 games recording five goals and 13 assists. He also played for Latvia at the 2022 Division I U20 World Championship in Denmark playing five games and recording a goal and two assists. Bergmanis will serve as the Latvian captain at the tournament.
 
Coach Woodcroft on Bergmanis
"As a staff, we are thrilled to be able to watch UVM first year player, Ralfs Bergmanis, compete at the highest level. Ralfs is as hard-nosed as they come he plays with a presence that will be recognized by opponents on the international stage and this coming season, in Hockey East."
 
Määttä played in 32 games for the Catamounts last year registering three goals and three assists for six points. Five of his six points came in the final 10 games of the season. In two games at the abbreviated tournament Määttä had a goal and two assists for Finland including the game-winner on December 26 against Germany and his UVM teammate Münzenberger. He was third in the tournament in faceoff percentage winning 74.2 percent of his draws.
 
Coach Woodcroft on Määttä
"This will be Joel's second stint at the World Juniors but first as a newly drafted member of the Edmonton Oilers. Joel's heavy, hard checking style of play is complimentary to the North American game. This has been a great off-season for Joel going from the NHL Draft, to NHL Development Camp and now to the World Juniors. Along with Luca and Ralfs, Joel will be arriving to our own training camp in great game shape. We are proud of Joel and all he has accomplished in 12 months."
 
Münzenberger will be making his third appearance for Germany at the World Juniors. At the 2021 tournament he played in five games, including 108 minutes of action for Germany who placed sixth overall. In the abbreviated action in 2022 he had the only goal for the Germans in their matchup with the Finns and was named the Player of the Game for Germany on December 26. He was fourth amongst all skaters in the tournament averaging 23:31 minutes per game.
 
Coach Woodcroft on Münzenberger
"This will be Luca's third opportunity to represent his country at the World Juniors.  It is extra special to be competing in front of the fans of Edmonton who will be following his progress at UVM very closely.  Luca is a competitor through and through, and we are lucky to have him as a Catamount."
 
Current and former Catamounts have represented their country 16 times at the World Junior Championships. Eight of those instances have come with student-athletes brought in during the Coach Woodcroft era.
 
The presenting sponsor of the men's hockey program is Handy Toyota