Eight players with ties to the Anaheim Jr. Ducks will compete in the Division I NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday at multiple sites.

They are Slava Demin (Merrimack), Josh Groll (Minnesota State), Cooper Haar (Canisius), Ryan Johnson (Minnesota), Zakary Karpa (Harvard), Kyle Mayhew (Denver), Tyler Shea (Michigan) and Ethan Wolthers (Western Michigan).

Here is a quick look at each player:

Slava Demin: The defenseman, a grad transfer, had 16 points in 36 games and a plus-15 rating. He is a Vegas Golden Knights draft pick in 2018 whose rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks a couple of years ago.

Josh Groll: The junior forward - a longtime San Diego Jr. Gull - has 11 points, including a career-high five goals, in 29 games. He's a key penalty killer for the Mavericks. 

Cooper Haar: The junior forward played in four games for the Golden Griffins, picking up two assists. 

Ryan Johnson: The senior defenseman, a first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2019, has 18 points - one off his career high - in 36 games. He also has a career-best plus-20 for the top-ranked Gophers.

Zakary Karpa: The sophomore defenseman, a 2022 draft pick by the New York Rangers, has eight points, including five goals, in 21 games. He also is a plus-5.

Kyle Mayhew: The defenseman returned to the Pioneers for a grad season, and he's been a key cog, racking up a career-high 13 points and a career-best plus-20 while playing in the top pairing and killing penalties. 

Tyler Shea: The freshman goaltender didn't see any time in net, but he did skate out in two games when the Wolverines were shorthanded, as we detailed in a story earlier this season.

Ethan Wolthers: The freshman forward has five points in 12 games for a Broncos team that is one of the highest-scoring in D-I.