Scotland supremo Ian McGeechan has named 12 uncapped players in his 32-man party for the summer trip to North America.

With a number of big names, such as half-back duo Bryan Redpath and Gregor Townsend being rested from the six-game trip, McGeechan has been forced to give youth a chance.

Michael Blair, who started the season with Edinburgh Academicals, is given the chance to press for his first international start as one of only two scrum-halves in the party, which could be affected by the Zurich Championship play-offs.

Tour skipper Budge Pountney, Northampton team-mate Mattie Stewart, Sale's Iain Fullarton and Stuart Grimes of Newcastle are all involved in quarter-final matches this weekend and if their teams win through to the last four, it would effectively rule them out of the first week of the trip.

"We may have to look at leaving them behind because there is no question of us pulling them away from their clubs," said McGeechan.

"But they will link up with us when those commitments are over because I want them for the Tests, when it matters."

Grimes and Glasgow hooker Gordon Bulloch are the most experienced members of the party with 39 caps but McGeechan is looking for the young blood to make an impact as the build-up towards next year's World Cup continues.

Apart from Blair, there are positive reports over Worcester's Australian-born centre Ben Hinshelwood and 19-year-old back-row Ali Hogg, part of the Scottish junior world championship squad earlier this season.

"On every tour there are always some surprises, that is the exciting aspect from my point of view," said McGeechan, who omitted Glasgow's Roland Reid to allow him more time to develop with Scotland's Commonwealth Games Sevens assault in mind.

"We start the tour with a clean slate because we want to give people the opportunity to come forward and make a name for themselves."

Scotland squad for the six-match tour of North America and to face the Barbarians at Murrayfield on Saturday, June 1:

Backs: G Beveridge (Glasgow), M Blair (Edinburgh), A Craig (Orrell), M di Rollo (Edinburgh), A Henderson (Glasgow), B Hinshelwood (Worcester), D Hodge (Edinburgh), R Kerr (Glasgow), B Laney (Edinburgh), G Metcalfe (Glasgow), C Paterson (Edinburgh), T Philip (Glasgow Hawks), G Ross (Edinburgh), N Walker (The Borders).

Forwards: J Brannigan (Edinburgh), G Bulloch (Glasgow), I Fullarton (Sale), S Grimes (Newcastle), N Hines (Edinburgh), A Hogg (Edinburgh), A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), M Leslie (Edinburgh), D Macfadyen (Glasgow), G McIlwham (Glasgow), J Petrie (Glasgow), B Pountney (Northampton, capt), R Russell (Saracens), S Scott (The Borders), C Smith (Edinburgh), M Stewart (Northampton), S Taylor (Edinburgh), J White (Glasgow).

Tour itinerary: June 5 v Canada East (Kingston, Ontario, 2330 BST). June 8 v Rugby Canada (Markham, 1930). June 12 v Canada West (Victoria, 0230). June 15 v Canada (Vancouver, 0000). June 18 v USA A (tbc). June 22 v USA (San Francisco, 2100).