Ethan Prow had not been in Canada since he was a young child.

So when Prow was named to the U.S. team that participated in the World Junior A Challenge, he had to get some paperwork taken care of.

“I had to work on getting a passport, so I could get across the border,” Prow said.

Prow is a 19-year-old defenseman and Sauk Rapids High School graduate. He has signed a national letter of intent to play hockey for St. Cloud State and is playing in his second season of juniors for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League.

He found out a few weeks in advance that he would be on the team that was coached by Des Moines head coach and general manager Regg Simon. The tournament was held Nov. 7-13 in Langley, British Columbia.

Prow played in all five games, helping the Americans to a bronze medal in the six-team tournament, that included two teams from Canada, and teams from Sweden, Russia and the Czech Republic.

One of the highlights of the tournament for Prow was he had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over Russia in the quarterfinals. The Americans lost 4-2 to Canada East in the semifinals, but beat Sweden 4-2 in the third-place game.

“It was a competitive tournament for sure,” Prow said of the international experience. “You saw some different systems and a little more trapping from the other countries.”

There were 22 players on the U.S. roster, including 20 from the USHL.

Prow said that it helped him to have Simon as the team’s coach.

“You knew how you wanted to play, the breakouts and the forechecks and it helped make the transition easier,” Prow said.

Prow said that he is enjoying his second season with the Buccaneers. Last season, he played in 59 games and had eight goals, 14 assists, 28 penalty minutes and was a minus-8.

This season, Prow has six assists, four penalty minutes and is a plus-1 in 10 games. His best game of the season may have been Wednesday when he had an assist and was a plus-5 in a 6-0 win over Omaha.

“Being a second-year player, it’s going a lot better,” Prow said. “I’m more confident in the league and with the puck and I know what Regg wants.”

Prow said that he continues to work on rounding out his game.

“There’s always parts where you can improve,” said Prow, who is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. “I’d like to work on being a little more physical, but you work to perfect every part of your game.”

Prow is not going to school this season and is hoping to play for the Huskies next season.

He gets regular updates from his parents on how St. Cloud State is doing.

“My parents usually go to the games,” he said. “I check them out online and see how they’re doing.”