Team USA Announced
Buffalo thrives on winter sports, and perhaps nothing says that more than The World Junior Hockey Championships coming to town this December 26- January 5. With the best in junior hockey coming out to win, you can bet your bottom dollar the fans will be out in full force, an estimated 400,000 tickets will be sold.
USA Hockey yesterday named the 29 players that have been invited to its pre-tournament camp beginning Dec. 17 in Troy, Rochester, Jamestown and Amherst, N.Y., and make up the preliminary 2011 U.S. National Junior Team roster.
The camp will include exhibition games against Rensselaer's men's ice hockey team (Dec. 19), the Czech Republic (Dec. 21) and Norway (Dec. 23). The final U.S. National Junior Team 22-man roster will be announced prior to Team USA's final exhibition game against Norway.
The 2011 U.S. National Junior Team will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo and Niagara, N.Y.
"We're excited with the group of players coming to the camp," said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "It was difficult to get down to the 29 and we'll have some tough decisions to get down to our final 22-man roster, but that's a good problem to have."
Among those invited to the camp are eight returning players from the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltender Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.); defenseman John Ramage (Chesterfield, Mo./Univ. of Wisconsin); and forwards Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass.), Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y./RPI), Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass./Boston College), Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y.), Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J.) and Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./Univ. of Denver).
Also highlighting the preliminary roster are 11 players from the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. National Under-18 Team, including Campbell and Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y./Cornell Univ.) in goal; defensemen Adam Clendening (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Boston Univ.), Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota Duluth), Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn./Univ. of North Dakota) and Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich./Univ. of Michigan); and forwards Connor Brickley (Everett, Mass.), Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.), Matt Nieto (Long Beach, Calif./Boston Univ.), Brandon Saad (Gibsonia, Pa.) and Zucker.
Pos |
# |
Name |
Ht |
Wt |
Birthdate |
S/C |
Hometown |
2010-11 Team (League) |
G |
1 |
Jack Cambpell^ |
6-2 |
182 |
1/9/92 |
L |
Port Huron, Mich. |
Windsor Spitfires (OHL) |
G |
29 |
Andy Iles |
5-9 |
180 |
1/30/92 |
L |
Ithaca, N.Y. |
Cornell Univ. (ECACH) |
D |
2 |
Adam Clendening |
5-11 |
190 |
10/26/92 |
R |
Niagara Falls, N.Y. |
Boston Univ. (HEA) |
D |
4 |
Brian Dumoulin |
6-4 |
210 |
9/6/91 |
L |
Biddeford, Maine |
Boston College (HEA) |
D |
25 |
Justin Faulk |
5-11 |
200 |
3/20/92 |
R |
South St. Paul, Minn. |
Univ. of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA) |
D |
7 |
Derek Forbort |
6-5 |
200 |
3/4/92 |
L |
Duluth, Minn. |
Univ. of North Dakota (WCHA) |
D |
6 |
Nick Leddy |
5-11 |
190 |
3/20/91 |
L |
Eden Prairie, Minn. |
Rockford IceHogs (AHL) |
D |
12 |
Jon Merrill |
6-3 |
209 |
2/3/92 |
L |
Brighton, Mich. |
Univ. of Michigan (CCHA) |
D |
28 |
Jamie Oleksiak |
6-7 |
240 |
12/21/92 |
L |
Boston, Mass. |
Northeastern Univ. (HEA) |
D |
21 |
John Ramage^ |
6-0 |
201 |
2/7/91 |
R |
Chesterfield, Mo. |
Univ. of Wisconsin (WCHA) |
D |
5 |
Philip Samuelsson |
6-2 |
198 |
7/26/91 |
L |
Scottsdale, Ariz. |
Boston College (HEA) |
D |
18 |
Patrick Wey |
6-2 |
205 |
3/21/91 |
R |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
Boston College (HEA) |
F |
27 |
Nick Bjugstad |
6-4 |
204 |
7/17/92 |
R |
Blaine, Minn. |
Univ. of Minnesota (WCHA) |
F |
17 |
Ryan Bourque^ |
5-9 |
164 |
1/3/91 |
L |
Boxford, Mass. |
Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
F |
13 |
Connor Brickley |
6-1 |
195 |
2/25/92 |
L |
Everett, Mass. |
Univ. of Vermont (HEA) |
F
|
10 |
Chris Brown |
6-2 |
194 |
2/3/91 |
R |
Flower Mound, Texas |
Univ. of Michigan (CCHA) |
F
|
24 |
Mitch Callahan |
5-11 |
175 |
8/17/91 |
R |
Whittier, Calif. |
Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
F |
3 |
Charlie Coyle |
6-2 |
207 |
3/2/92 |
R |
East Weymouth, Mass. |
Boston Univ. (HEA) |
F |
9 |
Jerry D'Amigo^ |
5-11 |
213 |
2/19/91 |
L |
Binghamton, N.Y. |
Toronto Marlies (AHL) |
F |
26 |
Emerson Etem |
6-1 |
197 |
6/16/92 |
L |
Long Beach, Calif. |
Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) |
F |
14 |
Rocco Grimaldi |
5-6 |
161 |
2/8/93 |
R |
Rossmoor, Calif. |
U.S. NTDP U-18 (USHL) |
F |
19 |
Chris Kreider^ |
6-2 |
214 |
4/30/91 |
L |
Boxford, Mass. |
Boston College (HEA) |
F |
11 |
Jeremy Morin^ |
6-1 |
189 |
4/16/91 |
R |
Auburn, N.Y. |
Rockford IceHogs (AHL) |
F |
8 |
Brock Nelson |
6-3 |
185 |
10/15/91 |
L |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
Univ. of North Dakota (WCHA) |
F |
20 |
Matt Nieto |
6-0 |
180 |
11/5/92 |
L |
Long Beach, Calif. |
Boston Univ. (HEA) |
F |
23 |
Kyle Palmieri^ |
5-10 |
194 |
2/1/91 |
R |
Montvale, N.J. |
Syracuse Crunch (AHL) |
F |
22 |
Brandon Saad |
6-2 |
211 |
10/27/92 |
L |
Gibsonia, Pa. |
Saginaw Spirit (OHL) |
F |
15 |
Drew Shore |
6-2 |
200 |
1/29/91 |
R |
Denver, Colo. |
Univ. of Denver (WCHA) |
F |
16 |
Jason Zucker^ |
5-11 |
180 |
1/16/92 |
L |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
Univ. of De |