Friday, October 21, 2011

Jr. A Challenge roster, coaches announced

Press Release

Team USA's roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced the 22-player roster for the 2011 U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete at the World Junior A Challenge from Nov. 7-13 in Langley, B.C. Team USA is the three-time defending champion (2008, 2009, 2010) at the tournament.

Twenty of the players on the U.S. roster currently compete in the United States Hockey League, the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league.

Highlighting the U.S. squad are five players who were selected in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry draft, including Mario Lucia (Chanhassen, Minn./Penticton Vees), who was chosen in the second round (60th overall) by the Minnesota Wild; Andy Welinski (Duluth, Minn./Green Bay Gamblers), who was a third-round (83rd overall) choice of the Anaheim Ducks; fifth-round selections Tony Cameranesi (Maple Grove, Minn./Waterloo Black Hawks/Toronto Maple Leafs, 130th overall) and Sean Kuraly (Dublin, Ohio/Indiana Ice/San Jose Sharks, 133rd overall); and seventh-round selection Alex Broadhurst (New Lenox, Ill./Green Bay Gamblers/Chicago Blackhawks, 199th overall).

Two players on the U.S. Junior Select Team roster helped Team USA capture its third consecutive World Junior A Challenge title last year, including Brian Cooper (Anchorage, Alaska/Fargo Force) and Jordan Schmaltz (Verona, Wis./Sioux City Musketeers).

Sharing the goaltending duties for Team USA will be Ryan McKay (Palatine, Ill./Green Bay Gamblers) and Matt Morris (Ridgewood, N.J./Dubuque Fighting Saints).

The U.S. Junior Select Team will begin tournament play against Sweden on Nov. 7 at 10:30 p.m. EST. A full schedule is below.

SIMON, FUKUSHIMA, LITTLER NAMED U.S. JUNIOR SELECT TEAM COACHING STAFF
Regg Simon, head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League's Des Moines Buccaneers, has been named the head coach of the 2011 U.S. Junior Select Team. Simon will serve as head coach of Team USA for the first time, after having served as an assistant coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team in 2007.

Shane Fukushima, associate head coach of the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks, and Bliss Littler, head coach and general manager of the USHL's Omaha Lancers, will join Simon on the coaching staff as assistant coaches.

ABOUT SIMON:
A longtime head coach and general manager in the USHL, Simon will lead the U.S. Junior Select Team for the first time after having served as an assistant coach at the 2007 World Junior A Challenge in Trail, B.C. Simon has coached the Des Moines Buccaneers for seven seasons, leading the team to the 2005 Clark Cup championship in his first full season at the helm and earning the league's General Manager of the Year award for his efforts.

Simon began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the USHL's Tri-City Storm during the 2002-03 campaign before joining the Des Moines coaching staff as an assistant the following year. Midway through the 2004-05 campaign he became head coach and general manager of the Buccaneers, a position he held for the next four seasons. Simon returned to his alma mater, the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he was an assistant coach for two seasons (2008-10) before returning to Des Moines last year as head coach and general manager.

Prior to his coaching career, Simon played two years (1994-96) for Des Moines and went on to play four seasons (1996-2001) at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

ABOUT FUKUSHIMA:
Fukushima, associate coach of the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks, is currently in his sixth season with the team. He was named the Eastern Division All-Star coach in 2006-07, and he helped the club to two Eastern Division Regular-Season Championships in his first two seasons. Under his watch, the team has also made the playoffs for five-straight seasons.

Fukushima began his coaching career at Owatonna (Minn.) High School, where he played high school hockey. He made the jump to the collegiate level in 2004 as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin Superior and helped the team to a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association title in 2006.

As a player, Fukushima competed for the USHL's North Iowa Huskies (1995-98) and continued his playing career at the University of Wisconsin River Falls from 1998-2001.

ABOUT LITTLER:
Littler is in his fourth season as head coach and general manager of the Omaha Lancers. In three seasons in Omaha, Littler recorded 108 regular season victories, the most in the league's Western Conference in that time frame.

Internationally, Littler served as the assistant coach of the 2008 U.S. Junior Select Team that won the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose, Alta. Littler has also coached at the U.S. Junior Select Team in the Viking Cup in 2000 and 2002.

Prior to arriving in Omaha, Littler spent two seasons (2001-03) at the helm of the USHL's Topeka Scarecrows and four years (2003-08) as head coach of USHL's Tri-City Storm. In his first season with the Storm, Littler led the team to the regular-season championship and was named the USHL General Manager of the Year. Littler started his coaching career with the American West Hockey League's Billings Bulls from 1993-2000, leading the club to four national tournaments.

NOTES: The U.S. roster includes 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders ... The 22 players represent eight states, with eight players hailing from Minnesota, five from Illinois and two from New York, Ohio and Wisconsin ... Ten USHL teams are represented, with the Green Bay Gamblers and the Waterloo Black Hawks boasting four players and the Des Moines Buccaneers featuring three players ... The World Junior A Challenge is in its sixth year and Team USA will be competing in the tournament for the fifth consecutive time ... The U.S. has won the championship the past three years (2008, 2009, 2010) and garnered a third-place finish in 2007 ... The 2011 World Junior A Challenge will include teams from the Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden, and the United States and two teams from Canada (East and West).
Team USA 2010 World Junior A Challenge ScheduleNov. 7-13 • Langley, B.C. •Langley Events Centre
DateOpponent
Time (Local/EST)
Mon., Nov. 7Sweden7:30 p.m./10:30 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 9Canada West7:30 p.m./10:30 p.m.
Thu., Nov. 10Quarterfinal Game4 p.m./7 p.m.
 Quarterfinal Game7:30 p.m./10:30 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 11Semifinal Game4 p.m./7 p.m.
 Semifinal Game7:30 p.m./10:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 12Fifth-Place Game12 p.m./3 p.m.
 Third-Place Game7:30 p.m./10:30 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 13First-Place Game5 p.m./8 p.m.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who selects the players for the worl junior team?

Nathan Fournier said...

USA Hockey selects the roster both for the World Junior Team and World Junior A Challenge team