Monday, July 22, 2013
Alums Among Olympic Hopefuls
Dozens of former college players among those in contention for U.S., Canadian and Swedish Olympic teams.
Forty-three former NCAA hockey players have been invited to Olympic Orientation Camps in the U.S., Canada and Sweden this fall in advance of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The vast majority of invitees to the United States camp, to be held Aug. 26-27 in Arlington, Va., have U.S. college ties. Thirty-three of the 48 players invited developed in NCAA hockey.
U.S. Roster | USA Hockey Announcement
Six members of Canada’s Olympic orientation roster played U.S. college hockey: Dan Boyle (Miami), Duncan Keith (Michigan State), Chris Kunitz (Ferris State), Patrick Sharp (Vermont), Martin St. Louis (Vermont) and Jonathan Toews (North Dakota). The Swedish camp will feature just 35 players, four of whom played college hockey: Erik Gustafsson (Northern Michigan), Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Douglas Murray (Cornell) and Gustav Nyquist (Maine).
The 2014 Games will mark the fifth time that NHL players will participate in the Olympics. In 2010 in Vancouver, former college players were named the tournament’s best goaltender (Ryan Miller), defenseman (Brian Rafalski) and forward (Jonathan Toews).
The 43 former college players invited to 2014 camps represent 21 schools, led by Minnesota (7) and Wisconin (6). Others with multiple players invited: Michigan (4); Michigan State and North Dakota (3); Boston College, Denver, Maine and Vermont (2).
Former NCAA Players Invited to Olympic Orientation Camps
| U.S. Goaltenders | ||
| Jimmy Howard | Detroit Red Wings | Maine |
| Ryan Miller | Buffalo Sabres | Michigan State |
| Jonathan Quick | Los Angeles Kings | Massachusetts |
| Cory Schneider | New Jersey Devils | Boston College |
| U.S. Defensemen | ||
| Dan DeKeyser | Detroit Red Wings | Western Michigan |
| Justin Faulk | Carolina Hurricanes | Minnesota Duluth |
| Jake Gardiner | Toronto Maple Leafs | Wisconsin |
| Erik Johnson | Colorado Avalanche | Minnesota |
| Jack Johnson | Columbus Blue Jackets | Michigan |
| Nick Leddy | Chicago Blackhawks | Minnesota |
| Paul Martin | Pittsburgh Penguins | Minnesota |
| Ryan McDonagh | New York Rangers | Wisconsin |
| Brooks Orpik | Pittsburgh Penguins | Boston College |
| Kevin Shattenkirk | St. Louis Blues | Boston University |
| Ryan Suter | Minnesota Wild | Wisconsin |
| Jacob Trouba | Winnipeg Jets | Michigan |
| U.S. Forwards | ||
| Justin Abdelkader | Detroit Red Wings | Michigan State |
| David Backes | St. Louis Blues | Minnesota State |
| Beau Bennett | Pittsburgh Penguins | Denver |
| Nick Bjugstad | Florida Panthers | Minnesota |
| Ryan Kesler | Vancouver Canucks | Ohio State |
| Phil Kessel | Toronto Maple Leafs | Minnesota |
| Kyle Okposo | New York Islanders | Minnesota |
| T.J. Oshie | St. Louis Blues | North Dakota |
| Max Pacioretty | Montreal Canadiens | Michigan |
| Kyle Palmieri | Anaheim Ducks | Notre Dame |
| Zach Parise | Minnesota Wild | North Dakota |
| Joe Pavelski | San Jose Sharks | Wisconsin |
| Craig Smith | Nashville Predators | Wisconsin |
| Paul Stastny | Colorado Avalanche | Denver |
| Derek Stepan | New York Rangers | Wisconsin |
| James van Riemsdyk | Toronto Maple Leafs | New Hampshire |
| Blake Wheeler | Winnipeg Jets | Minnesota |
| Canada | ||
| Dan Boyle | San Jose Sharks | Miami |
| Duncan Keith | Chicago Blackhawks | Michigan State |
| Chris Kunitz | Pittsburgh Penguins | Ferris State |
| Patrick Sharp | Chicago Blackhawks | Vermont |
| Martin St. Louis | Tampa Bay Lightning | Vermont |
| Jonathan Toews | Chicago Blackhawks | North Dakota |
| Sweden | ||
| Erik Gustafsson | Philadelphia Flyers | Northern Michigan |
| Carl Hagelin | New York Rangers | Michigan |
| Douglas Murray | Pittsburgh Penguins | Cornell |
| Gustav Nyquist | Detroit Red Wings | Maine |