The New Jersey Devils don’t have much World Juniors representation brewing, but there are still a few names trying to force their way into the conversation.
At the center of that group is Conrad Fondrk, one of the Devils’ two second-round picks from Team USA, along with Ben Kevan. Third-rounder Mason Moe is also in the mix, and all three are chasing spots on their country’s rosters for the 2027 World Junior Championships. This year’s tournament is set for Edmonton and Red Deer, which gives college players a more manageable path to participation.
Moe and Fondrk are both at the World Juniors Summer Showcase, where top young players are trying to make an impression on national-team coaches before the real roster decisions arrive later in the year.
Moe has gotten six games to prove he belongs, but the scoreboard hasn’t helped him. He hasn’t recorded a point, and while he’s mostly been used as a fourth-line center, that kind of quiet run doesn’t exactly strengthen a case for a roster spot.
Fondrk’s situation is even more precarious. The Boston University forward hasn’t appeared in a game wearing the USA crest at all, which says plenty about where he stands with Team USA right now.
That’s not hard to trace back to last season. Fondrk didn’t have a strong year, and if he were in this year’s draft, he probably would land in the late rounds. Even getting onto the showcase roster came late in the process.
That doesn’t mean the door is shut. It just means Fondrk has to do a lot of heavy lifting at BU this season.
He wasn’t especially high in Jay Pandolfo’s plans last year, either. When he was healthy - and that wasn’t often - he still had trouble breaking into the lineup.
Now the assignment is much clearer. Fondrk needs to win a place in the Terriers’ lineup and then push for something more than that. A top-six role is the kind of jump he has to make if he wants to get back into serious World Juniors consideration.
BU has improved its roster, so nothing will come easy. Training camp is where he starts making his case.
Fondrk still has a shot at the World Juniors, but the road is long. For him, this is about more than one tournament.
It’s about taking the first step back toward credibility in the Devils’ prospect pool. And after the slide this group has taken, a World Juniors run would go a long way toward restoring some confidence in him.
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