University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey incoming freshman Victor Plante has been invited to the 2026 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp/World Junior Summer Showcase that will take place from July 26-August 1 at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.

The 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase, which will also include teams from Canada, Finland and Sweden, is part of the process to select the roster for the IIHF World Junior Championship. Team practices commence on July 22, with the first games set for July 26. The Showcase serves as an evaluation for athletes seeking to make their respective national teams for the 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship that is set for Dec. 26, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

Plante, a native of Hermantown, Minn., was drafted last Saturday by the NHL's Detroit Red Wings in the second round, 47th overall.  The younger brother of current Bulldogs Zam and Max Plante, who are both NHL draft picks in their own right, is also the son of former UMD All-American and former NHL player Derek Plante.
 

Plante spent the last two years with the United States National Team Development Program, scored 21 goals and 48 points in 57 games over the 2025-26 season with the Under-18 squad. Most recently, Plante competed with the U.S. side in the IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship. In five games, he recorded a goal and four assists for a point per game average in the tournament.