NAHL U.S. National Team

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

Published on February 18, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The Under-17 Team returns home to Ann Arbor for a two-game set against NAHL North rival Alpena IceDiggers on February 20-21. Both games are set to begin at 7 p.m. ET. The U18s also will be hosting a two-game series at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The team squares off against the St. Louis Bandits on February 21-22. Saturday's game will start at 3:30 p.m., while the puck drops on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

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 174-101-7-16 (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 202-106-9-17 (W-L-T-OTL).

U.S. NAT'L U-18 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-18 Team defeated Colorado College, 3-2, for the first time in its history on Sunday (February 15). Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass.) tallied the game winner with 4:43 remaining in regulation ... A.J. Treais (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./14-22--36) leads the team in points this season with 36. He also leads the team in assists with 22 ... Kenny Ryan (Franklin Village, Mich./19-16--35) is second on the team in both points (35) and goals (19) ... Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y./21-11--32) leads the team in goals with 21 ... Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J./15-14--29) leads the team in points-per-game, averaging a point per contest ... Adam Murray (Anchorage, Alaska) leads the team in goals-against average at 3.04 and save percentage at .902 ... Both Murray and Brandon Maxwell (Winter Park, Fla.) have found themselves in the top 10 of the NTDP's all-time wins by a goaltender list. Maxwell's 35 career victories ranks ninth all-time, while Murray's 32 are tied with Billy Blase (2003-05) for 10th. Rick DiPietro (1997-99) and Jeff Frazee (2003-05) share the record with 52 career wins each ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team's series against Bemidji State marks the last two games against NCAA competition. Team USA has posted a 13-11-1 against Division I and III opponents in 2008-09.

U.S. NAT'L U-17 TEAM NOTES: Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif./19-27--46) leads the team in points during the season with 46. He is also the team-leader in goals (19) and assists (27). He is averaing 1.1 points per game ... Austin Czarnik (Washington, Mich./15-20--35) is second on the team in points with 35 ... Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev/19-10--29) is tied for the team high with 19 goals ... Frankie Simonelli (Bensenville, Ill./6-16--20) leads all defensemen with 22 points ... Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) and Will Yanakeff (Jerome, Mich.) have combined for seven shutouts, with Campbell tallying four of them. Campbell leads the team in goals-against average at 2.04 and save percentage at .916. He is tied with five other NTDP goalies for second place on the all-time list for single-season shutouts. Jeff Frazee (2003-05) holds the record, having posted six shutouts in 2004-05 ... Yanakeff has recorded a 2.42 GAA and .905 save percentage. His 2.24 GAA against NAHL competition is fifth-best in the league ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team plays the remainder of its games in the 2008-09 season within the North American Hockey League.

U-17 VS. ALPENA: The IceDiggers are currently third in the NAHL North Division with a 22-15-5 record ... Team USA sits just two points behind the Diggers with a 22-1-3 record, while playing six fewer games than Alpena ... The Under-17 Team has faced Alpena twice already this season, winning both contests. In the most recent game on January 25, Team USA topped the IceDiggers, 4-3, in Alpena.

U-18 VS. ST. LOUIS: St. Louis is currently second in the NAHL South Division with a 34-8-6 record ... The Bandits are the two-time defending Robertson Cup champion ... This weekend's games mark the first time the teams have met this season ... The Bandits were members of the NAHL North Division in 2007-08. They finished in first place with a 47-9-2 ... U-18 defenseman John Ramage (Chesterfield, Mo.) was a member of the Bandits last season, helping the club win its second consecutive Robertson Cup title ... St. Louis eliminated the U.S. National Under-17 Team in last year's NAHL playoffs, winning the series 3-0.

UP NEXT: The Under-17 team heads to Boardman, Ohio, on Tuesday, February 24, for a 10 a.m. ET game against the Mahoning Valley Phantoms. The following Friday and Saturday they play the St. Louis Bandits in Chesterfield, Mo. Both games are set to begin at 7:15 p.m. ET. The U-18s travel to Bemidji, Minn., for a two-game set against NCAA Division I opponent Bemidji State University on February 27-28. The puck will drop on Friday at 7:35 p.m. ET, while Saturday's game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET.

NTDP IN THE PROS: As of today, over 40 National Team Development Program alumni have suited up in at least one National Hockey League game ... Centers David Steckel (1998-00) and Ryan Kesler (2000-02) are among the league leaders in faceoff percentages with 55.6% and 54.1% faceoffs won respectively ... Patrick Kane (2004-06) of the Chicago Blackhawks is third among American-born players with 48 points ... R.J. Umberger (1998-00) of the Columbus Blue Jackets is fourth among American-born players with 8 power play goals this season ... San Antonio Rampage forward Chad Kolarik (2002-04) is currently tied for third among American Hockey League rookies with 37 points (14-23) ... Before being called up by the Buffalo Sabres for the second time this year, Nathan Gerbe (2003-05) racked up 20 goals and 17 assists for the Portland Pirates of the AHL ... Jimmy Howard (2001-02) has posted a 2.52 goals-against average, .914 save percentage, and three shutouts for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL.

NTDP IN THE NCAA: The National Team Development Program has produced nearly 300 NCAA ice hockey players in its 12-year history including three Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winners and 25 All-Americans ... The University of Wisconsin's Jamie McBain (2004-06) leads the nation's defensemen with 34 points (7-27). His 27 assists are tied for third in the nation ... Colin Wilson (2005-07/13-27--40) of Boston University is tied for fourth in the NCAA with 40 points. His 27 assists are tied for third. He was named Hockey East Player of the Week after posting seven points (4-3) against the University of Maine in a weekend series ... Jordan Schroeder (2006-08/12-22--34) of the University of Minnesota leads all NCAA freshmen in points with 34 ... Joe Cannata (2007-08) of Merrimack College earned Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors after stopping 35 of 37 shots against the University of Vermont on Friday, February 13 ... Jason Lawrence (2003-05) of Boston University is tied for the NCAA lead with 12 power-play goals ... Jordan Pearce (2002-04) leads the nation in wins with 22. His 1.82 goals-against average ranks seventh.

THE ROAD TO FARGO: The U.S. National Under-18 Team is gearing up for the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship in Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn. The tournament runs from April 9-19, with games being played at the brand new Urban Plains Center in Fargo and the Moorhead Sports Center ... Team USA will participate in a pre-tournament camp in Blaine, Minn ... The U.S. National Under-18 Team has captured the Under-18 World Championship three times (2002, 2005, 2006) and has medaled in each of the last five years (2004-08) ... The Under-18 Team is undefeated against international competition this season, posting a 7-1-0-0 record (W-OTW-OTL-L).

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 18, 2009


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