USA Hockey Announces U.S. National Under-17 Team 2006-07 Schedule
Published on August 23, 2006 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- USA Hockey's National Team Development Program announced the roster and schedule for its 2006-07 U.S. National Under-17 Team today. The 23 new recruits will play a 58-game slate, which is highlighted by three international events, two of which will be hosted by the National Team in Ann Arbor, Mich., and a third event to be played in Piestany, Slovakia, in February. Also included on the schedule are 47 contests versus North American Hockey League foes.
The U.S. National Under-17 Team will begin its defense of the NTDP's back-to-back regular season NAHL North Division championships when it opens the 2006-07 campaign on Friday, Sept. 22 at NAHL North Division rival Traverse City. Along with the U.S. National Under-17 Team and the Traverse City North Stars, the North Division will be comprised of the Alpena Ice Diggers, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms and the expansion Marquette Rangers.
"The schedule that we have in place for this season is tough and rigorous," said Head Coach John Hynes (Warwick, R.I.) who will guide the U.S. National Under-17 Team this season. "With 40-plus NAHL games, the year will be mentally and physically challenging. You add in the three international events where we will have the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world for the 1990 birth year, and it will be an exciting season for our club."
The team's first international competition will come Nov. 6-11, when the U.S. National Under-17 Team hosts the first of two Four Nations Tournaments at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The November event will have Germany, Russia and Switzerland competing with Team USA in a round-robin format event with medal games to be held on Friday, Nov. 11.
The month of December will be a busy one for the U.S. National Under-17 Team, as it travels to Boardman, Ohio, for a pair of games (Dec. 1-2) versus Mahoning Valley before returning to Ann Arbor for a five-game home stand, the team's longest of the season. The end of the 2006 calendar has Team USA hosting the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden for another Four Nations Tournament. The event will run from Friday, Dec. 29 through Tuesday, Jan. 2.
"It is unique to be able to host a couple tournaments. It will be nice to compete internationally in our own arena and in front of our home crowd," commented Hynes.
The squad will venture off American soil for the first time in February when they travel to Piestany, Slovakia, to compete in the annual Vlad Dzurilla Classic (Feb. 5-12). Following the Classic, the U.S. National Under-17 Team will complete its NAHL regular-season schedule with 13 contests against North Division opponents, including 11 straight road contests to close the season.
Hynes, entering his fourth year as head coach with USA Hockey's NTDP, has earned a gold medal and a silver medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship in 2006 and 2004, respectively. 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.
Assisting Hynes will be Patrick Foley (Milton, Mass) who is entering his second season with the NTDP. Foley, an NTDP alum (1998-99), went on to serve as a three-year captain for the University of New Hampshire before graduating in 2004. In 2006, Foley served as an assistant under Hynes for the U.S. squad that captured gold at the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship.
NOTES: The 2006-07 U.S. National Under-17 Team is composed of 23 players from 10 different states. Five members of this year's team hail from Minnesota, while Massachusetts and Michigan are each home to four U.S. National Under-17 Team players ... Hynes is scheduled to lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team during the 2007-08 campaign. Ron Rolston (Ann Arbor, Mich.), the head coach for the U.S. National Under-18 Team this season, is slated to lead the U.S. National Under-17 squad in 2007-08.
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