USHL alumni headed to Word Junior Championship
Published on December 4, 2007 under United States Hockey League (USHL) News Release
GRAND FORKS, N.D.: USA Hockey today announced its roster for the 2008 World Junior Championships, and the roster includes two former stars of the United States Hockey League.
Kyle Okposo (Des Moines) and Max Pacioretty (Sioux City) will be members of Team USA, which will skate in the ten-team event. The games will take place December 26, 2007-January 6, 2008 in Pardubice, Czech Republic.
"We're extremely proud of these two young men who had great careers in the USHL and will now take their game to the international stage," said USHL President Gino Gasparini. "It's always a great thing for these players and for our league when they get the chance to represent their country."
Okposo will be skating in his third WJC. The former Des Moines Buccnaeer star is currently a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. Okposo is third on the Golden Gophers in scoring, with 6-4-10 in 16 games. The former USHL Rookie of the Year and Clark Cup Most Valuable Player was drafted by the New York Islanders with their first round pick (7th overall) in 2006. In one USHL season, Okposo scored 27-31-58 in 50 games.
Pacioretty is making his WJC debut. Currently a freshman at the University of Michigan, Pacioretty is fourth on the Wolverines in scoring with 5-10-15 in 16 games. Another former USHL Rookie of the Year, Pacioretty was selected in the first round (22nd overall) by Montreal in the 2007 NHL Draft. In his lone USHL season, Pacioretty scored 21-42-63 in 60 games.
The first game for the Americans will be at 9:00 a.m. CST on December 26 against Kazakhstan.
In addition to the two Americans, current Waterloo Black Hawks Jan-Mikael Juutilainen and Siim Liivik have been selected to represent Finland. Juutilainen, a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, is in his second season with Waterloo and has 22 points in 62 career games. Liivik is a rookie in the USHL and has scored 4-3-7 in 18 games. More selections could follow in the near future as other countries finalize their rosters.
The USHL is America's only Tier I league and the premier path for developing players in America. The league has over 125 current players committed to Division I colleges and 19 players that have been selected in the NHL Draft. For more information on the USHL and its member teams, visit us on the web at www.ushl.com.
United States Hockey League Stories from December 4, 2007
- USHL alumni headed to Word Junior Championship - USHL
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- RoughRiders' Jones Commits to Dartmouth - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
- Littler gets contract extension - Tri-City Storm
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