NAHL U.S. National Team

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

Published on February 4, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team heads to Piestany, Slovakia, for the 2009 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament from February 5-7. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Under-18 Team travels to Nykoping, Sweden, for the 2009 Five Nations Tournament. Games will be played from February 4-8.

UNDER-18 HEAD COACH RON ROLSTON: Ron Rolston is in his fifth year as a head coach with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He has amassed a career record of 169-101-7-16 (W-L-T-OTL).

UNDER-17 HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES: John Hynes is in his sixth year as a head coach with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He has amassed a career record of 199-106-9-16 (W-L-T-OTL).

U.S. NAT'L U-18 TEAM NOTES: Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y.) owns the team lead in points with 32 (14-18). He is also tied with A.J. Treais (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./13-18--31), Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./4-18--22) and Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass./12-18--30) for the team lead in assists with 18. He is averaging a point per game through 32 games played ... Kenny Ryan (Franklin Village, Mich./16-15--31) and Treais are tied for second on the team with 31 points ... Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y./20-10--30) leads the team in goals with 20 ... Fowler paces all defensemen in points with 22... Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska) leads the team in goals-against average at 3.15 ... Brandon Maxwell's (Winter Park, Fla.) 34 career wins ranks ninth on the all-time list at the National Team Development Program.

U.S. NAT'L U-17 TEAM NOTES: Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif./18-23--41) currently leads the team with 41 points. He also leads the team in assists with 23 and is tied with Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./18-9--27) for the team lead in goals with 18 . Through 38 games, he's averaging 1.08 points per contest ... Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn./7-10--17) and Frankie Simonelli (Bensenville, Ill./3-14--17) are tied for the lead among defensemen in points with 17 each. Faulk has three power-play goals for the season ... Will Yanakeff (Jerome, Mich.) and Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) have combined for six shutouts, with each recording three. The two have an identical goals-against average of 2.24. Yanakeff also boasts a .911 save percentage while Campbell is at .909.

ROSTER CHANGES FOR INT'L TOURNEYS: The U.S. National Under-18 Team made two additions to its defensive corps in preparation for the 2009 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. The squad brings in Philip Samuelsson (Scottsdale, Ariz.), of the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, and has called up Adam Clendening (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. The pair will replace Sam Calabrese (Park Ridge, Ill.) and Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich.), who were unable to make the trip. Samuelsson has posted 11 assists in 37 games with the Steel, while Clendening has 14 points (1-13) in 40 games played ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team has brought in defenseman Kevin Gravel (Kingsford, Mich.) from the Marquette Rangers of the North American Hockey League for the 2009 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament. Gravel has dished out eight assists while appearing in all 44 of Marquette's games.

ABOUT FIVE NATIONS: The U.S. National Under-18 Team will meet under-18 squads from the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden at the 2009 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament ... Team USA is the two-time defending champion at the Five Nations Tournament, having won in 2007 and 2008. The U.S. has also captured the title in 2005 and 1999 ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team is 3-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in international competition this year. The squad captured the 2008 Under-18 Four Nations Tournament championship in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November ... Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J.) scored two goals and added two assists for Team USA. Both U18 netminders earned two wins in Lake Placid. Murray posted a 1.50 goals-against average and .942 save percentage. See Page 2 for schedule.

ABOUT VLAD DZURILLA: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will meet under-18 squads from Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland at the 2009 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament ... Team USA captured the tournament title four consecutive times (2004-07) ... The U.S. finished second to host Slovakia in 2008 ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team is 9-0-1-1 in international competition this season, which includes a second place finish at the 2008 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament in Monthey, Switzerland, and third place at the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, B.C ... Nieto leads the U-17s in international competition with 15 points (8-7). Campbell and Yanakeff have combined for a 1.72 GAA and .927 save percentage in 11 international games. See Page 2 for schedule.

UP NEXT: The U17s travel to Wyandotte, Mich., for a February 15 matchup against the Motor City Machine. The puck is set to drop at 4 p.m ET. The Under-18s will be in Colorado Springs, Colo., on the same day for a 3:07 p.m. game against Colorado College of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

NTDP LISTED IN NHL CS MIDTERM RANKINGS: Twenty-four players with ties to USA Hockey's National Team Development Program were listed on NHL Central Scouting's 2009 Midterm Rankings. NTDP alum Jordan Schroeder (2006-08) was the highest-ranked American-born player coming in at No. 4. Kyle Palmieri (No. 19) and Jeremy Morin (No. 21) were the highest-ranked players currently at the NTDP. Both Under-18 Team goaltenders were ranked among North American netminders. Brandon Maxwell came in at No. 11, while Adam Murray was ranked at No. 20. On last season's midterm rankings 13 NTDPers were listed. Central Scouting's final rankings come out in late April or early May.

HOCKEY WEEKEND ACROSS AMERICA: The second annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok -- a three-day nationwide celebration of the sport of hockey -- will take place Feb. 13-15, 2009. Each of the three days associated with Hockey Weekend Across America has a theme, including Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey on Friday, Bring a Friend to the Rink on Saturday and Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes on Sunday. Material is available for download, including the event logo and poster. For more information on Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok visit HockeyWeekendAcrossAmerica.com ... During Hockey Weekend Across America, the U.S. National Under-18 Team will meet Colorado College. Following the game, three U.S. players and three CC players will sign autographs for fans at the Colorado Springs World Arena. For more information, stay tuned to cctigers.com.

ABOUT THE NTDP: Founded in 1996, USA Hockey's National Team Development Program was created to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice. Located in Ann Arbor, Mich., the 46 players in the program are split into two squads - the U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams.

- In the 10 years NTDP players have been eligible for the draft, 152 players have been selected, including the number one overall selection in 2000 (Rick DiPietro), 2006 (Erik Johnson) and 2007 (Patrick Kane).

- In 2007-08, 44 NTDP alumni appeared in at least one game in the National Hockey League.

- Patrick Kane (2004-06) became the first NTDP alumnus to earn the National Hockey League's Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2007-08.

- Kevin Porter (2002-04), of the University of Michigan, joined Jordan Leopold (1997-98) and Matt Carle (2000-02) as the third NTDP alumnus to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as college hockey's top player in 2007-08.

- In the 12-year history of the National Team Development Program, players from 28 states have donned the Team USA uniform. This season 18 different states are represented between the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

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North American Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2009


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