NAHL U.S. National Team

U.S. National Under-17 Team Returns to NAHL Action

Published on November 15, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
U.S. National Team News Release


THIS WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will travel to St. Louis, Mo., to face the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League's South Division. Team USA will play a pair of games, with the opener coming Saturday night (Nov. 18) at 8:30 p.m. EST. The second meeting will be Sunday evening (Nov. 18) at 7:00 p.m. EST. Both games will be played at The Summit Center in Chesterfield, Mo.

U.S. HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES: John Hynes is in his fourth season with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He has amassed a career record with the NTDP of 108-57-8-4 (W-L-T-OTL). Hynes has earned a gold (2006) and a silver medal (2004) at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championships as a head coach and a gold (2002) as an assistant. In 2005, Hynes led the U.S. National Under-17 Team to a first-place NAHL North Division regular-season finish and a North Division playoff championship, marking the first time this double feat was accomplished by the NTDP. Prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, he spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Wisconsin.

U.S. HEAD COACH JOHN HYNES ON THE WEEKEND AHEAD: "This weekend is going to be an incredible challenge for us. Traveling to play the best team in the league right now will be tough. I'm looking forward to our kids competing hard in a tough road environment."

GAME NOTES: St. Louis currently has the NAHL's best record at 16-1-1 through 18 games this season. The club is 7-0-1 at home this season ... The Bandits are currently enjoying a 12-game winning streak ... St. Louis forward Pat Maroon is tied for third among the NAHL's scoring leaders with 30 points (13-17) in 18 games ... The Bandits franchise relocated following the 2005-06 after previously competing out of Texarkana, Texas.

U.S. NATIONAL UNDER-17 TEAM NOTES: The 2006-07 U.S. National Under-17 Team is comprised of 23 players from 10 different states. Minnesota is this year's leader in producing new NTDP players with five. Massachusetts and Michigan are tied for second with each state being the home of four U.S. National Under-17 Team players.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: University of Michigan sophomore defenseman Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich./2003-05) earned the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week Award for the week of Nov. 5-12. Johnson recorded two points (1-1) and a +6 rating on Friday night in the Wolverines 6-4 win over the University of Nebraska Omaha ... University of Denver freshman forward Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach, Calif./2004-06) earned the Red Baron/Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week honor for the week of Nov. 5-12. Rakhshani produced a three-point scoring night, including his first collegiate game-winning goal, in a 4-3 overtime victory over the University of Wisconsin Badgers last Saturday (Nov. 11) night at the Kohl Center in Madison.

LAST WEEK: The U.S. National Under-17 Team competed in its first international competition of the season at the 2006 Phantom Fireworks Four Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. Team USA took second place in the four-nation field which included national teams from Russia, Slovakia, and Switzerland. After finishing the preliminary round of the tournament with a 2-1-0 record, the Under-17 Team faced Team Russia in the tournament's championship game. Despite jumping out to a 4-0 lead, Team USA was unable to hold the advantage as Russia rallied for a 5-4 overtime victory. Danny Kristo (Eden Prarie, Minn.) (3-2) and Vinny Saponari (Powder Springs, Ga.) (1-4) both had a strong week for the host nation as each player registered five points. Jordan Schroeder (Lakeville, Minn.) (1-3) also had a good tournament for Team USA, contributing four points in four games.

"It was a heartbreaking end to the tournament for us. No doubt about that," said Team USA Coach John Hynes (Warwick, R.I.). "Now, the true mark of this team will be how we respond coming out of our first international tournament together. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the past week, and I'm excited about moving forward with this team in the coming weeks and months."

UP NEXT: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will return home during the week of Thanksgiving to host a trio of games following the holiday. Team USA will play a pair of games versus the Alpena Ice Diggers on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 24-25) beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST, before hosting the Traverse City North Stars on Sunday (Nov. 26) for an afternoon tilt (3:00 p.m. EST). All three games will be played at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

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 eight years NTDP players have been eligible for the draft, 124 players have been selected, including the number one overall selection in both 2000 (Rick DiPietro) and 2006 (Erik Johnson).

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North American Hockey League Stories from November 15, 2006


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