USHL U.S. National Team

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

Published on March 10, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-18 Team will head to Iowa for a pair of tough USHL contests against East Division foes. Team USA will take on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena Friday at 7:05 p.m. CST. Then on Saturday, the U18s will head to Young Arena to take on the Waterloo Black Hawks at 7:05 p.m. EST... The U.S. National Under-17 Team, which sweeped a couple of USHL opponents last week, have this weekend off.

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 33-17-0-2 (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 208-134-7-20 (W-L-T-OTL). In January, 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: The U.S. National Under-18 Team is coming off a weekend split with a pair of USHL opponents... Brandon Saad (Gibsonia, Pa.) added an assist on the weekend to up his team-best point total to 45. He is tied for second on the squad with 22 goals... Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.) scored two goals against Des Moines Sunday, including the overtime game-winner, to take over the U.S. lead with 23 tallies on the season. Nieto also is second on the squad with 43 points... Austin Czarnik (Washington, Mich.) added another assist to his team-high 27 helpers this year... Adam Clendening (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) notched three assists to run his point total up to 33 (9-24), which is tops among NTDP defensemen... Goaltender Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y.) picked up his 17th win of the season on Sunday. He has posted a 17-5-1 record, 2.10 goals-against average and.920 save percentage... Justin Faulk's (South St. Paul, Minn.) 17 goals pace the U.S. blueliners, while his 13 power-play tallies are a team best... Nick Shore's (Denver, Colo.) 42 points rank third on the squad, while his 26 assists are second-best on Team USA. He has appeared in each of the U18's 52 games this season.

U.S. NAT'L U17 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team is coming off its first sweep of USHL opponents this season... Reid Boucher (Grand Ledge, Mich.) had a big series for Team USA. He scored three goals over the weekend, including the game-winner in both games. He now has 14 goals on the season, which is tied for second on the team. Boucher's shootout goal on Sunday gave the U.S. the 5-4 shootout win over the Sioux Falls Stampede, while his second-period tally against Des Moines was enough to earn the "W" Monday. Boucher is now third on the squad with 27 points... Tyler Biggs (Cincinnati, Ohio) lit the lamp twice in the series. He now has a team-best 15 goals on the season... John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was stellar between the pipes for the U17s, playing in both games. Gibson recorded 89 total saves over the two games, including 47 against Sioux Falls and 42 against Des Moines. He has had six 40-plus save performances this year... Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill.) leads the U.S. defensive unit with 26 points, which includes 19 assists, which accounts for the second-highest total for Team USA... Austin Wuthrich (Anchorage, Alaska) scored his first-career goal against Sioux Falls Sunday. He joined the team full-time in January.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: As of today, more than 45 former NTDP players have suited up in at least one NHL game this season... Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler (2000-02) will be featured on the cover of 2KSports' NHL2K11 video game. He joins Patrick Kane (2004-06), of the Chicago Blackhawks, as the only two NTDP alums to appear on a video game cover. Kane appeared on the cover of EA Sports NHL 10... Kane is currently eighth in the NHL with 74 points (26-48)...ï - =BFFlorida Panther Keith Ballard (1999-2001) is eighth in the NHL with 140 blocked shots this season... Kesler is second in the NHL with 68 takeaways. He also ranks third among American-born players with 61 points (19-42)... Phil Kessel (2003-05), of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is fifth in the NHL with 233 shots on goal. He has 43 points (22-21) in 54 games... Washington Capital David Steckel (1998-2000) is second in the NHL with a 60.2 faceoff percentage... Colin Wilson (2005-07) is back in the line up in Nashville after a stint in the AHL. In 19 games with the Predators, Wilson has seven points (4-3), including an unassisted goal against Atlanta Tuesday night. NCAA The University of Michigan's Chris Brown (2007-09) was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team after notching 26 points (12-14) in 39 games... Rhett Rakhshani (2004-06), senior captain at the University of Denver, is tied for fourth in the country with 48 points (20-28).

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United States Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2010


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