U men’s hockey: Six players in mix for U.S. team
Posted on December 1st, 2008 – 6:00 PMBy Roman Augustoviz
The U.S. national junior team will be named on Wednesday and as many as six Gophers could be on it.
The U.S. team will play in the Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Ottawa, Ontario. That means, any Gophers named to the team, will miss the two games in the Dodge Holiday Classic at Mariucci Arena.
The Gophers plays Brown on Jan. 2 and either Northeastern or Western Michigan on Jan. 3 in the Dodge Holiday Classic at Maroosh.
Among Gophers who are candidates for the team are freshman center Jordan Schroeder and sophomore defenseman Cade Fairchild. They should be near locks because both played on the U.S. team in this same tournament last January. Schroeder had a team-high seven assists as the U.S. team won four of six games, but lost 4-2 to Russia in the bronze medal game. The tournament was in the Czech Republic.
Also on that team were three other Gophers. One was sophomore center Kyle Okposo, remember he never returned to the Gophers after the holidays? … And the other two, too old to be on this time, were forwards Mike Carman and Ryan Flynn.
Four other Gophers — freshman defenseman Aaron Ness, sophomore wing Mike Hoeffel, sophomore wing/center Patrick White and freshman wing Jake Hansen — also went to the national junior evaluation camp at Lake Placid, N.Y. So they, too, could be named to the U.S. team.
The U.S. team has played for a medal in the IIHF World Junior Championships in each of the past six years, but has won a gold medal only once in 2004. The tournament brings together the best 20-and-under players in the world.
The team will be announced at 1 p.m. Wednesday on NHL Live, NHL Network and XM 204.
The pool of players available comes from the 53 who attended the evaluation camp. Here is the list. One name that jumps out is Jim O’Brien, the ex-Gophers who left the team for the pros after his freshman season.
Another familar name, because I just met him, is freshman forward David Wohlberg of Michigan. He scored two goals against the Gophers in a 6-3 stomping last Friday.
Might be fun to pick your favorites for the team. Then compare them who made it:
GOALTENDERS (5)
Name Ht (cm) Wt (kg) Birthdate S/C Hometown 2007-08 Team (League)
Mike Lee 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 10/5/90 L Roseau, Minn. Roseau (Minn.) High School
Brandon Maxwell 6-0 (183) 190 (86) 3/22/91 L Winter Park, Fla. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Thomas McCollum 6-1 (185) 196 (89) 12/7/89 L Sanborn, N.Y. Guelph Storm (OHL)
Jeremy Smith 6-0 (183) 175 (80) 4/13/89 L Brownstown, Mich. Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
Josh Unice 5-11 (185) 185 (84) 6/24/89 L Holland, Ohio Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
DEFENSEMEN (18)
Jonathon Blum 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 1/30/89 R Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Zach Bogosian 6-2 (188) 200 (91) 7/15/90 R Massena, N.Y. Peterborough Petes (OHL)
John Carlson 6-2 (188) 215 (98) 1/10/90 R Colonia, N.J. Indiana Ice (USHL)
Ian Cole 6-1 (185) 217 (98) 2/21/89 L Ann Arbor, Mich. University of Notre Dame (CCHA)
Adam Comrie 6-4 (194) 201 (92) 7/31/90 R Ashburn, Va. Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Cade Fairchild 5-10 (178) 184 (83) 1/15/89 L Duluth, Minn. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Cam Fowler 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 12/5/91 L Canton, Mass. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Jake Gardiner 6-2 (188) 175 (80) 7/4/90 L Deephaven, Minn. Minnetonka (Minn.) High School
Blake Kessel 6-2 (188) 204 (92) 4/13/89 R Madison, Wis. Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
Sean Lorenz 6-1 (185) 198 (89) 3/10/90 R Littleton, Colo. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Ryan McDonagh 6-1 (185) 208 (94) 6/13/89 L Arden Hills, Minn. University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Aaron Ness 5-10 (178) 170 (77) 5/18/90 L Roseau, Minn. Roseau (Minn.) High School
Greg Pateryn 6-2 (188) 212 (96) 6/20/90 R Sterling Heights, Mich. Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL)
Nick Petrecki 6-3 (190) 215 (98) 7/11/89 L Clifton Park, N.Y. Boston College (HEA)
Teddy Ruth 6-0 (183) 201 (91) 2/14/89 R Naperville, Ill. University of Notre Dame (CCHA)
Kevin Shattenkirk 5-11 (180) 193 (87) 1/29/89 R New Rochelle, N.Y. Boston University (HEA)
Scooter Vaughan 6-0 (183) 195 (88) 4/8/89 R Placentia, Calif. University of Michigan (CCHA)
David Warsofsky 5-8 (172) 170 (77) 5/30/90 L Marshfield, Mass. U.S. National Under-18 Team
FORWARDS (30)
John Albert 5-11 (180) 180 (82) 1/19/89 L Concord, Ohio The Ohio State University (CCHA)
Ryan Bourque 5-7 (170) 170 (77) 1/3/91 L Boxford, Mass. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Drayson Bowman 6-1 (185) 195 (88) 3/8/89 L Littleton, Colo. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Jack Connolly 5-8 (172) 165 (75) 8/15/89 L Duluth, Minn. Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
Robbie Czarnik 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 1/25/90 R Washington, Mich. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Justin Florek 6-4 (194) 195 (88) 5/18/90 L Marquette, Mich. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jake Hansen 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 8/21/89 R White Bear Lake, Minn. Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
Jimmy Hayes 6-3 (190) 205 (93) 11/21/89 R Dorchester, Mass. Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Mike Hoeffel 6-2 (188) 195 (88) 4/9/89 L North Oaks, Minn. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
AJ Jenks 6-2 (188) 210 (95) 6/27/90 L Wolverine Lake, Mich. Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
Tyler Johnson 5-9 (175) 175 (80) 7/29/90 L Spokane, Wash. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Danny Kristo 5-11 (180) 175 (80) 6/18/90 R Eden Prairie, Minn. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Drew LeBlanc 5-11 (180) 185 (84) 6/29/89 L Hermantown, Minn. Chicago Steel (USHL)
Colin Long 5-11 (180) 180 (82) 6/19/89 R Santa Ana, Calif. Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Philip McRae 6-2 (188) 189 (86) 3/15/90 L Chesterfield, Mo. London Knights (OHL)
Jeremy Morin 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 4/16/91 R Auburn, N.Y. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Jim O’Brien 6-2 (188) 190 (86) 1/29/89 R Maplewood, Minn. Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Kyle Palmieri 5-10 (178) 185 (84) 2/1/91 R Montvale, N.J. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Nick Palmieri 6-2 (188) 212 (96) 7/12/89 R Clinton, N.Y. Erie Otters (OHL)
Aaron Palushaj 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 9/7/89 R Northville, Mich. University of Michigan (CCHA)
Matt Rust 5-10 (178) 188 (85) 3/23/89 L Bloomfield Hills, Mich. University of Michigan (CCHA)
Vinny Saponari 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 2/15/90 R Powder Springs, Ga. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jordan Schroeder 5-8 (172) 180 (82) 9/29/90 R Prior Lake, Minn. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Eric Tangradi 6-3 (191) 214 (97) 2/10/89 L Philadelphia, Pa. Belleville Bulls (OHL)
Corey Tropp 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 7/25/89 R Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. Michigan State University (CCHA)
James vanRiemsdyk 6-3 (191) 211 (95) 5/4/89 L Middletown, N.J. University of New Hampshire (HEA)
Mitch Wahl 6-0 (183) 190 (86) 1/22/90 R Seal Beach, Calif. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Patrick White 6-1 (185) 190 (86) 1/20/89 R Grand Rapids, Minn. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Colin Wilson 6-1 (185) 210 (95) 10/20/89 L Greenwich, Conn. Boston University (HEA)
David Wohlberg 6-0 (183) 180 (82) 7/18/90 L South Lyon, Mich. U.S. National Under-18 Team
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