USHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-18 Team Heads to Ohio for a Pair

Published on January 14, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-18 Team will take on The Ohio State University of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Friday at 7:05 p.m. EST, at Value City Arena, before traveling to meet the Youngstown Phantoms Saturday at the Covelli Centre at 7:15 p.m. EST... The U.S. National Under-17 Team, which has the weekend off, is back in action Monday (Jan. 18) in Youngstown for a date with the Phantoms at 6:30 p.m. EST.

UNDER-18 HEAD COACH KURT KLEINENDORST: Kurt Kleinendorst is in his first season at the NTDP. Prior to coming to Ann Arbor, Kleinendorst spent three seasons (2006-09) as the first-ever head coach for the American Hockey League's Lowell Devils, top minor-league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. Kleinendorst also spent one season as an assistant coach with the NHL's Devils in 2000-01. He has led the U.S. National Under-18 Team to a 20-13-0-2 (W-L-T-OTL) record this season.

UNDER-17 HEAD COACH RON ROLSTON: Ron Rolston is in his sixth season as a head coach at the NTDP. Rolston has compiled a career record of 206-124-7-18 (W-L-T-OTL). This season, he led the U.S. National Under-17 Team to its third gold medal at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

U.S. NAT'L U18 TEAM NOTES: Two U.S. National Under-18 Team members recently returned from helping the U.S. National Junior Team capture its second-ever gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sakskatoon and Regina, Sask. Netminder Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) and forward Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.) returned to the U18 lineup last weekend after playing big roles for the gold medal-winning U20 squad... Bryan Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), who was the only player to score against the University of Wisconsin Saturday, has 13 goals this season, good for second on the team. He has already surpassed his goal total of nine from last season and is just one point away from matching his total output from 2008-09... Austin Czarnik (Washington, Mich.) has proved that it is sometimes better to give than receive. Czarnik, who led the U.S. National Under-17 Team with 56 points (24-32) last season, is tied for the U.S. lead with 18 assists this year. Additionally, Czarnik has posted three game-winning goals, tied for the team best... Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y.) has continued to post sparkling numbers between the pipes for Team USA. In 18 games, Iles has compiled a 11-4-0-1 record, 2.16 goals-against average and.917 save percentage, along with two shutouts.

U.S. NAT'L U17 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team earned a historic victory when it defeated Canada-Ontario, 2-1, Jan. 4 in the championship game at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Tyler Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored both goals for the U.S. to help it win its third World U17 Challenge title and its first since 2002... Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) was named to the all-tournament team after leading the event with 14 points, including a tournament-high 10 assists... J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio) and Biggs tied for the tournament lead with five goals each... The U.S. also got outstanding goaltending from its tandem of Matt McNeely (Burnsville, Minn.) and John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Gibson was between the pipes for the game against Ontario and pitched a shutout right up until one second remained in regulation. He made 38 saves in the win. Gibson was one of the top goaltenders at the tournament with a 1.33 goals-against average and.957 save percentage. He allowed just four goals in 180 minutes of action... Coming out of the tournament, Grimaldi leads Team USA with a whopping 34 points, 12 goals and 22 assists. His 1.10 points-per-game also tops the U.S. leaderboard... Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill.) who led Team USA's defensive corps with three goals and two assists at the Challenge, has six goals this season, all of which have come on the power play.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: So far during the 2009-10 season, 42 NTDP alumni have suited up in at least one NHL game... Ten former and two current NTDP players helped the U.S. National Junior Team to the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saksatoon, Sask. For a complete list, see link below... Seven NTDP alumni were named to the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team on Jan. 1. For a complete list of NTDP Olympians, see link below.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

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United States Hockey League Stories from January 14, 2010


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