USHL U.S. National Team

National Team Development Program 2009-10 Schedule Announced

Published on July 20, 2009 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


ANN ARBOR, Mich. - USA Hockey's National Team Development Program today announced the schedules for its U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams. Both squads will compete as a member of the United States Hockey League, the nation's only Tier I Junior A hockey league, for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

"The 2009-10 schedule is definitely the most challenging we have developed in the 13 years of the National Team Development Program," said Scott Monaghan, director of operations for the NTDP. "We look forward to the great international and college competition, as well as a new partnership with the USHL, which is the premier junior hockey league in North America."

In addition to its 26-game USHL schedule, the U.S. National Under-18 Team, which will be coached by John Hynes, will play 17 different NCAA opponents. Among Team USA's college foes are the last four NCAA Division I national champions, Boston University (Oct. 10), Boston College (Oct. 9), Michigan State University (Jan. 4) and University of Wisconsin (Jan. 9).

The U18s will open its season at home against the University of Waterloo (Ontario), a member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) on Sept. 18 before traveling to Sioux City, Iowa, for the USHL Fall Classic from Sept. 24-26. Team USA then begins the NCAA portion of its schedule against Ann Arbor neighbor, University of Michigan, on Oct. 3 at Yost Ice Arena. The U18s will open its USHL regular season against the Sioux City Musketeers at home on Oct.17.

Team USA will also travel to Finland for the 2009 Under-18 Four Nations Cup from Nov. 6-8. In February 2010, the U.S. will look to defend its title at the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in Russia. The Under-18 season culminates with Team USA looking to capture its unprecedented seventh straight medal and second consecutive gold at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship in Minsk, Belarus, April 13-23, 2010.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team, led by Ron Rolston, kicks off its 2009-10 campaign at the 2009 North American Hockey League Showcase in Blaine, Minn., from Sept. 16-19, before heading home to open its 34-game USHL schedule on Oct. 3 against the Chicago Steel.

The Under-17s will also head to Slovakia twice this season to represent the United States in two international competitions. The first, from Nov. 4-8, is the 2009 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament. Team USA then returns on Feb. 9 to compete in the 2010 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament. In between those two events, the U.S. National Under-17 Team will compete at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Timmons, Ontario, from Dec. 29, 2009-Jan. 4, 2010. Team USA will look to capture its fourth consecutive medal at that event.

NOTES: The U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams will count jointly as one team in the USHL standings as a member of the East Division. Should the NTDP finish among the top four squads in the division, the U.S. National Under-17 Team will compete in the Clark Cup Playoffs ... Between the two teams, the Ann Arbor Ice Cube will host 32 games during the 2009-10 campaign ... Of the U.S. National Under-18 Team's 17 games against college opponents, 11 are against Division I schools ... The rosters for both the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams will be released later this month.

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United States Hockey League Stories from July 20, 2009


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