Thursday, June 9, 2011

Collegians to Vie for U.S. Junior Team

Collegians to Vie for U.S. Junior Team

Twenty-eight of the 40 skaters invited to USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp are current, former or future college hockey players.

These players will audition for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Junior National Team that will play in the IIHF World Junior Championship December 26, 2011 – January 5, 2012, in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta.

Among the current NCAA players, Boston University and Notre Dame will each send three representatives to camp. Adam Clendening, Charlie Coyle, and Matt Nieto will represent the Terriers while the Irish boast Stephen Johns, Bryan Rust, and T.J. Tynan.

Justin Faulk, who turned pro after winning the 2011 NCAA championship with Minnesota Duluth, is another notable invite. Also included are Denver’s Jason Zucker, who was 21st in the country in scoring last season as a freshman, and Northeastern defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who is a projected first-round pick in the NHL Draft later this month.

Future college players include Rocco Grimaldi and J.T. Miller who will be at North Dakota next season, Connor Murphy and Tyler Biggs for Miami, Brian Cooper for Nebraska-Omaha, Robbie Russo for Notre Dame, and Reid Boucher for Michigan State.

There will be a separate announcement for the goaltenders selected later this month. Visit usahockey.com for the complete list of invited players.

The final roster will be selected in late December following a pre-tournament camp. The team will be coached by Dean Blais, the current head coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Assisting Blais at the evaluation camp will be Scott Sandelin (Minnesota-Duluth), Tom Ward (Shattuck-St. Mary’s), Joe Exter (USNTDP), and NHL head coaches Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh Penguins), and Mike Sullivan (New York Rangers).