Joey Anderson, who helped Minnesota Duluth to the NCAA title earlier this month and was captain of the U.S. junior national team, signed with the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, passing up his final two seasons of college eligibility.
Anderson, a Roseville native and former Hill-Murray player, signed a three-year entry level contract and will burn the first season now. He joins the Devils in New Jersey, where they trail Tampa Bay 2-0 in a first round playoff series. He was taken by the Devils in the third round (73rd overall) in the 2016 draft.
The 19-year-old winger had 23 goals in two seasons for UMD, which played in the NCAA title game both his seasons. The Bulldogs lost in the 2017 title game to Denver, which was led by Devils rookie defenseman Will Butcher.
Anderson played in the past two World Junior Tournaments. He was captain of the bronze medal team in January, and won a gold with the 2017 team.
Before UMD, he played two seasons with the U.S. development program after two seasons at Hill Murray. His brother, Mikey, was a freshman defenseman at UMD last season, and was also on the U.S. junior national team. Mikey Anderson posted congratulations on Instagram.
