USHL U.S. National Team

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

Published on December 9, 2009 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will welcome former North American Hockey League rival Youngstown Phantoms (formerly Mahoning Valley) for a pair of United States Hockey League East Division contests. The U17s kick off the weekend Friday night at 7:05 p.m. EST before wrapping up the series Saturday at 4:05 p.m. with both games at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube... The U.S. National Under-18 Team will meet NCAA Division I opponent Union College Friday at 7 p.m. EST at Messa Rink. On Saturday, the U18s will take on Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., at 7 p.m. at Lansing-Chapman Ice Rink.

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 16-8-0-2 (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 199-122-7-17 (W-L-T-OTL).

U.S. NAT'L U18 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-18 Team earned a split against USHL competition over the weekend... Matthew Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.) notched three points (2-1) over the weekend to pace Team USA. Nieto (9-10--19) is tied with Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./10-9--19) for the team lead with 19 points... Four players are tied for second on the team with 18 points each... Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn.) leads the U18s with 11 goals, which includes a team-best eight power-play tallies. He also leads all defensemen with 17 points... Zucker and Bryan Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) are tied for second on the team with 10 goals each... Both U.S. netminders have posted eight wins this season. Andy Iles (Ithaca, N.Y.) is 8-3-1, with a 2.18 goals-against average and.911 save percentage, while Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.) is 8-5-1 with a 2.06 goals-against average and.923 save percentage... Zucker, Nieto and Rust are tied for the U.S. lead with three game-winning goals apiece... Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich.) and Austin Czarnik (Washington, Mich.) are tied for the team lead with 12 assists apiece.

U.S. NAT'L U17 TEAM NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team had last weekend off... Ryan Haggerty (Stamford, Conn.) notched a goal and an assist over the pervious weekend to reclaim sole possession of the team's point and goal leads. Haggerty has 18 points, including eight goals. Haggerty has scored two power-play goals, two shorthanded markers and a game-winner... Blake Pietila (Brighton, Mich.) is second on Team USA's goal-scoring list with seven... Travis Boyd (Hopkins, Minn.) leads the NTDP with nine points (4-5) against USHL competition. Haggerty is second with eight points, including a team-best five goals in the USHL... Boyd is tied with Michael Paliotta (Westport, Conn.) for the team lead with seven helpers this season.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: So far during the 2009-10 season, 39 NTDP alumni have suited up in at least one NHL game, while there are currently 41 NTDP alumni in the American Hockey League. USA HOCKEY Seventeen players with ties to the NTDP have been named to the preliminary roster for the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Regina & Saskatoon, Sask. The 29-player roster will be wittled down to 22 before the tournament. NHL Phil Kessel (2003-05), of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been on a scoring tear since returning from injury. He already has 10 goals in just 17 games played... Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler's (2000-02) 20 assists lead all American-born players. He is also 2-for-2 in shootout attempts... Jack Johnson (2003-05), of the Los Angeles Kings, has scored three times in shootouts this year. He has nine points (2-7) this season. NCAA University of Denver's Rhett Rakhshani (2004-06) is averaging 1.25 points-per-game with 20 points (11-9) in just 16 games. His 11 goals are tied for ninth in the country... Blake Geoffrion (2004-06), who is coming off of his first-career collegiate hat trick, is tied for third in the nation with 12 goals. His eight power-play goals are second in NCAA.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United States Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central