Bucs Players with Team USA
Published on August 5, 2011 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Des Moines Buccaneers News Release
Urbandale (IA) Three players and a coach with ties to the Des Moines Buccaneers are hitting the ice this week for USA Hockey.
Former forwards Connor Brickley (Vermont) and T.J. Tynan (Notre Dame) are in Lake Placid, NY competing at the USA Hockey Junior Evaluation Camp. They are trying to earn a spot on the 2012 World Junior team, which will be coached by former Fargo Force and current University of Nebraska-Omaha head coach Dean Blais. The camp runs August 6 - 13 and has a total of forty-four players broken into two teams that will play exhibition games against Finland and Sweden.
Tynan is coming off an eye-opening freshman season at Notre Dame where he lead the team in scoring and helped the Fighting Irish to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history. Along the way he picked up a number of CCHA and NCAA honors for his rookie season.
Brickley is no stranger to USA Hockey events, having played for Team USA at the 2010 IIHF U-18 Tournament, 2010 U-18 Six Nations Tournament, 2009 World Junior A Challenge and 2009 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. This is his second Junior Evaluation Camp.
"It's a testament to development in the USHL that these two young men are being considered for our World Junior team," said Buccaneers' head coach Regg Simon. "Competing in this league helped to catapult them into very successful freshman seasons and we wish them the best of luck at the camp."
Meanwhile, the USA U-17 team competing at the Five Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, MI August 9 -13 will also have a Buccaneer flavor to it.
Future Buccaneer Michael Brodzinski will be one of seven defensemen suiting up for the Red, White and Blue. He'll compete agains teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. A native of Blaine, MN Brodzinski was the Buccaneers first-round selection in the 2011 USHL Futures Draft.
The U-17 team's assistant coach is also former Buccaneer Pat Mikesch. Mikesch starred for the Buccaneers from 1990 - 1992 and led the organization to their first-ever Clark Cup and National Championship in 1992. He went on to have a very successful career at MIchigan Tech University and in professional hockey.
"We are certainly proud and happy for Michael and Pat," said Simon. "They'll both represent our organzation and country very well."
The Des Moines Buccaneers will be playing their 32nd consecutive season in the United States Hockey League beginning in the fall of 2011. Since 1980, the Buccaneers have produced hundreds of NCAA Division I players and dozens of professional alumni. Season Ticket Packages and Corporate Partnership information for the 2011-2012 season is available by calling (515) 278-2827.
United States Hockey League Stories from August 5, 2011
- Bucs Players with Team USA - Des Moines Buccaneers
- Hawks Alum to USA Camp - Waterloo Black Hawks
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