DULUTH, Minn. – University of Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Zam Plante has been named to the U.S. Collegiate Selects roster that will compete in the 2025 Spengler Cup in December, it was revealed Thursday on the "Morning Cuppa Hockey” show. Plante is the third National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) player chosen for the team and is among 12 players tabbed to the U.S. Collegiate Selects roster so far.
 
Plante joins North Dakota junior defenseman Jake Livanavage and Denver junior defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, who were previously announced, as NCHC representatives on the U.S. Collegiate Selects squad and will be teammates at the 2025 Spengler Cup. UMass junior forward Jack Musa was also added to the USCS team on Thursday.
 
The 2025 Spengler Cup will be the first time a select team representing college hockey has ever competed in the event. The U.S. Collegiate Selects team will be comprised of active NCAA Division I players of any nationality representing all six conferences and the Division I independent programs.
 
Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) has started his sophomore season with a bang, ranking third in the NCHC and seventh nationally with 12 points in eight games, helping UMD to a 7-1-0 start. His seven assists are tied for third in the NCHC, while his five goals tie for fourth in the conference. As a freshman, the Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick racked up 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists in 33 games. Plante recorded five multi-point games last year and already has three this season, with a point in seven of eight games so far in 2025-26.
 
For his UMD career, Plante has compiled 33 points in 41 games with 12 goals and 21 assists. He also has one game-winning goal this season, in the season opener at Alaska. In the center circle, Plante has gone 97-86 so far this season (53.0 percent), with the 97 faceoff wins second in the NCHC.
 
The U.S. Collegiate Selects team will be coached by Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky. Among the U.S. Collegiate Selects support staff is long-time (22 years) University of Denver Hockey athletic trainer Aaron Leu, also representing the NCHC.
 
The remaining 13 players on the 25-man roster will be announced in November. The team will be constructed by the USCS coaching staff and organizing committee, with guidance from select NHL scouts.
 
The Spengler Cup has been held annually in Davos, Switzerland since 1923. It is a six-team invitational tournament traditionally featuring club and national teams from Europe and North America. It is hosted by the Swiss professional team HC Davos each year from Dec. 26-31 at Eisstadion Davos. The University of North Dakota competed in the 1982 Spengler Cup and the University of Minnesota participated in 1981.
 
Plante's father and former Bulldog great Derek Plante also played in the Spengler Cup in 2002, competing with HC Davos where he had five assists in five games.
 
The United States Collegiate Selects will face Team Canada to open Spengler Cup play on December 26. Along with the U.S. Selects, host HC Davos, Team Canada, HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Sparta Praha and IFK Helsinki will be taking part in the 2025 edition. Each team will play a minimum of three contests and maximum of five during the six-day event.