Penn State men’s hockey freshman Aarne Talvitie was one of 12 forwards invited to Finland’s preliminary roster for the 2019 World Junior Championship on Monday.

Talvitie will go to Western Canada on December 15 along with the rest of Finland’s U-20 national team after an excellent start to his collegiate career. He’s scored four goals and 14 points in 15 games in his first season playing for a team outside of his home country.

If he ends up making Finland’s final roster, Talvitie could miss Penn State’s first series following its winter break. The Nittany Lions will play two games at Minnesota on January 4 and 5 — the World Juniors’ semifinals and finals will be played on the same weekend.

The New Jersey Devils’ prospect was left out of last year’s World Junior Championship in Buffalo, but he’ll likely stick on Finland’s final roster once this year’s tournament begins on December 26. He previously represented his country at each of the last two World Junior Summer Showcases, scoring a combined six goals in 10 games.

Talvitie won’t be the only Big Ten forward at Finland’s pre-tournament training camp — Minnesota freshman Sampo Ranta will also attend after beginning his collegiate career with two goals and four assists in 13 games.

Last season, Penn State sophomore Cole Hults became the first Penn Stater named to the United States’ preliminary roster, but he ultimately didn’t make the team for the final tournament. The United States will release its preliminary roster in the coming days — Hults and fellow sophomore Evan Barratt are among the other Nittany Lions eligible to play in the tournament.