Thursday, May 4, 2017
Collegians Lead U.S. at Worlds
From staff to players, virtually all of Team USA has NCAA ties.
A team dominated by current and former NCAA players – from its management team to coaching staff to the roster – leads the United States into the 2017 IIHF World Championship, beginning Friday in Cologne, Germany.
Six players who spent 2016-17 in college hockey are among the 23-man roster. Fifteen others are NCAA alumni, meaning that players with college hockey experience make up 91% of the roster.
USA Hockey Site | IIHF Tournament Site
The U.S. opens tournament play Friday, May 5, against the host Germans at 2:15 p.m. ET on NHL Network. Each U.S. game can be seen live on NHL Network or NBC Sports Network.
Former Western Michigan head coach and Ferris State goaltender Jeff Blashill leads the U.S. coaching staff. Four former NCAA players are on his staff, including current Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold.
The 21 former college players on the roster represent 11 schools, with Boston University (four players), Michigan (four) and Notre Dame (three) featuring the most representatives. It includes several college teammates:
- Michigan’s JT Compher, Andrew Copp and Dylan Larkin, plus Copp and Jacob Trouba
- Boston University’s Jordan Greenway, Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy
- Notre Dame’s Anders Bjork and Cal Petersen
| 2017 U.S. Men’s National Team | ||||
| No. | Name | Pos. | 2016-17 Team | NCAA Team |
| 5 | Connor Murphy | D | Arizona (NHL) | |
| 6 | Daniel Brickley | D | Minnesota State | Minnesota State |
| 7 | JT Compher | F | Colorado (NHL) | Michigan |
| 8 | Jacob Trouba | D | Winnipeg (NHL) | Michigan |
| 9 | Andrew Copp | F | Winnipeg (NHL) | Michigan |
| 10 | Anders Bjork | F | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 12 | Jordan Greenway | F | Boston University | Boston University |
| 13 | Johnny Gaudreau | F | Calgary (NHL) | Boston College |
| 14 | Nick Bjugstad | F | Florida (NHL) | Minnesota |
| 15 | Jack Eichel | F | Buffalo (NHL) | Boston University |
| 17 | Nick Schmaltz | F | Chicago (NHL) | North Dakota |
| 18 | Christian Dvorak | F | Arizona (NHL) | |
| 19 | Clayton Keller | F | Boston University/Arizona (NHL) | Boston University |
| 21 | Dylan Larkin | F | Detroit (NHL) | Michigan |
| 25 | Charlie McAvoy | D | Boston University/Boston (NHL) | Boston University |
| 27 | Anders Lee | F | NY Islanders (NHL) | Notre Dame |
| 29 | Brock Nelson | F | NY Islanders (NHL) | North Dakota |
| 35 | Jimmy Howard | G | Detroit (NHL) | Maine |
| 37 | Connor Hellebuyck | G | Winnipeg (NHL) | UMass Lowell |
| 40 | Cal Petersen | G | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 55 | Noah Hanifin | D | Carolina (NHL) | Boston College |
| 57 | Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | Chicago (NHL) | New Hampshire |
| 65 | Danny DeKeyser | D | Detroit (NHL) | Western Michigan |
Asst. Executive Director, Hockey Operations: Jim Johannson (Wisconsin)
U.S. Men’s National Team Management: Chris Drury (Boston University)
U.S. Men’s National Team Management: Bill Guerin (Boston College)
Head Coach: Jeff Blashill (Ferris State)
Assistant Coach: Jack Capuano (Maine)
Assistant Coach: Rand Pecknold (Connecticut College/Quinnipiac head coach)
Assistant Coach: Seth Appert (Ferris State)
Video Coordinator: Adam Nightingale (Michigan State)