ASU Hockey: Koumontzis Invited to World Junior Summer Showcase

For the first time ever, a Sun Devil will be at the United States World Junior Summer Showcase when the event takes place on July 26-Aug. 3 in Plymouth, Michigan later this month.

ASU sophomore forward Demetrios Koumontzis was invited to the festivities on Tuesday. A fourth round selection of the Calgary Flames in the 2018 NHL Draft, Koumontzis accumulated 20 points with four goals and 16 assists in 34 games played during his freshman campaign. He was highly effective on the Sun Devil power play alongside Johnny Walker.

Koumontzis will compete for an opportunity to make the final roster for Team USA when they play in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship from Dec. 26, 2019 to Jan. 5, 2020 in the Czech Republic. Therefore, he hasn’t made the team just yet, but he has a chance to showcase himself and prove his abilities at the end of this month to make the cut.

“We’re very proud of Demetrios,” said head coach Greg Powers in a release from Sun Devil Athletics. “He’s earned this opportunity and I have no doubt he’ll go and represent himself and our program incredibly well at this camp while working toward his ultimate goal of representing our country at the World Junior Championships.”

Koumontzis was one of 44 players invited to Plymouth, and he will compete against other countries such as Finland, Canada, and Sweden over the week-long outing.

Earlier this summer, the 20-year-old forward also took part in the Flames development camp.

If Koumontzis makes the U.S. World Junior Team, it’s likely he would miss a chunk of ASU’s regular season schedule in a jam-packed month of December that features two-game series’ against Denver, Michigan State, Nebraska Omaha, and Harvard.

Nonetheless, it’s a grand opportunity for the Scottsdale native, and a Sun Devil could represent the program on an international stage for hockey.