NAHL U.S. National Team

NTDP dominates junior team roster

Published on November 4, 2004 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced the naming of 12 players to the U.S. National Junior Team that will represent the U.S. at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Grand Forks, N.D. and Thief River Falls, Minn. The tournament features the top under-20 talent from 10 nations and will run from December 25, 2004 to January 4, 2005.

The announcement was made by National Junior Team Head Coach Scott Sandelin (Madison, Wis.), USA Hockey President Ron DeGregorio (Salem, N.H.), Vice President and International Council Chair Tony Rossi (Chicago, Ill.), Executive Director Doug Palazzari (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Senior Director, International Administration Art Berglund (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Senior Director, Hockey Operations Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

Among the players named today are eight returnees from the 2004 gold medal-winning squad. Ten of the 12 are National Hockey League prospects, selected in the 2003 or 2004 Entry Draft. Head Coach Scott Sandelin will look to both the new and returning players to defend the championship.

"The players we named today represent some of the finest college and junior players in the country," Sandelin said. "The high level of experience and leadership that our veterans bring, combined with the energy and skill of each of the new players will, I believe, make this team a sure competitor in defending the championship in Grand Forks. The ongoing player evaluations and final player selections will be critical for our ultimate team success."

Returning in goal for the red, white and blue will be 2004 Tournament Top Goaltender Al Montoya (Glenville, Ill.). Montoya led Team USA to a perfect 6-0-0 record last year, posting a 1.33 GAA and a .933 save percentage. In June, the New York Rangers made Montoya their first choice in the NHL Entry Draft, selecting him with the sixth overall pick. Montoya is currently in his junior year at the University of Michigan and played for the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP).

Skating in his third World Junior competition, Nashville Predators prospect and former NTDP product Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis.) will join University of Wisconsin standout, Jeff Likens (Barrington, Ill.) and University of Michigan sophomore Matt Hunwick (Roseville, Mich.) on the blue line. The son of 1980 U.S. Olympic Team member Bob Suter, Ryan is currently playing with the Predators' American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee. His participation is pending final approval and release by the Nashville organization. Likens spent two years with NTDP, and represented the U.S. at both the World Under-17 Challenge and the IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Hunwick, also a product of the NTDP, was Boston's seventh-round pick in '04.

The preliminary roster also includes plenty of experience at the forward position, with 2004 gold medallists Dan Fritsche (Parma, Ohio), Patrick O'Sullivan (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Drew Stafford (Faribault, Minn.) and Jake Dowell (Eau Claire, Wis.) returning. A 2003 second-round choice by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Fritsche is currently in his fourth season with the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting. He is the only player on the World Junior roster with NHL experience, skating in 19 games for Columbus last year.

A 2003 draft choice of the Minnesota Wild, O'Sullivan (who played for the NTDP) enters his third World Junior Championship. O'Sullivan emerged as the leading goal-scorer in 2003, scoring three times in his second World Junior appearance.

2004 NHL draftees Stafford (Buffalo, first-round) and Dowell (Chicago, fifth round) will both skate in their second World Junior Championship. Stafford is currently in his sophomore year at the University of North Dakota, and will play on familiar ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena, home of the Fighting Sioux. Dowell, a product of USA Hockey's NTDP, is currently a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin.

Four players named today will make their World Junior debut. All four are NHL draftees. Columbus's second-round pick, Adam Pineault (Holyoke, Mass.) joins the team from Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Ryan Callahan (Rochester, N.Y.), currently skating with the OHL's Guelph Storm, is property of the New York Rangers after going 127th overall. Mike Brown (Northbrook, Ill.), chosen 159th overall by the Vancouver Canucks, and T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) join two University of Michigan teammates (Hunwick, Montoya), bringing the number of Wolverines on the squad to four. Pineault, Hensick and Brown were also members of the NTDP.

Tournament exhibition action kicks off on December 19 with round-robin play set to begin December 25. The championship will be decided in the medal games on January 4.

Check out the U.S. National Team Statistics

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North American Hockey League Stories from November 4, 2004


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