22 USHL Players Named to U.S. Select Team

Press Release

USA Hockey announced today the roster for the U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete at the World Junior A Challenge in Penticton, British Columbia from November 8-14. All 22 players currently play in the USHL.

Players on the U.S. Select Team represent nine different USHL clubs, including five players from the Fargo Force and four each from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Sioux City Musketeers.

Three of the players named to the roster, Colten St. Clair (Fargo Force) Nick Mattson (Indiana Ice), and Michael Parks (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) were part of the U.S. squad that won the World Junior A Challenge in 2009. Three other players gained international experience this past summer competing for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that participated in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament – Seth Ambroz (Omaha Lancers), Cason Hohmann (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), and Brian Cooper (Fargo Force).

The roster includes some championship experience as Robert Francis and Aaron Harstad were part of the Green Bay Gamblers team that won the USHL Clark Cup in 2010.

Nineteen players on the roster have college commitments following their USHL careers and six of those players were selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft; Max Gaede (third round, 88th overall, San Jose Sharks), Jimmy Mullin (fourth round, 118th overall, Tampa Bay Lightning), Caleb Herbert (fifth round, 142nd overall, Washington Capitals), Michael Parks (fifth round, 149th overall, Philadelphia Flyers), Zane Gothberg (sixth round, 165th overall, Boston Bruins), and Nick Mattson (sixth round, 180th overall, Chicago Blackhawks).

The U.S. Junior Select Team will be lead by a trio of USHL coaches as P.K. O'Handley (Waterloo Black Hawks) was named head coach of the squad and is joined on the staff by Luke Strand (Sioux City Musketeers) and Justin Lyle (Indiana Ice). Included in the support staff is equipment manager Darren Flinchem (Indiana Ice) and athletic trainer Todd Klein (Waterloo Black Hawks). The U.S. has won the championship at the World Junior A Challenge the past two years (2008, 2009) and garnered a third-place finish in 2007 with rosters made up almost entirely of USHL players. The 2010 event will also include teams from Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and two teams from Canada (East and West).

2010 U.S. Junior Select Team Roster

Goaltenders: Casey DeSmith (Indiana Ice), Zane Gothberg (Fargo Force)

Defensemen: Brian Cooper (Fargo Force), Tommy Fallen (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), Aaron Harstad (Green Bay Gamblers), Nick Mattson (Indiana Ice), Scott Mayfield (Youngstown Phantoms), Jordan Schmaltz (Sioux City Musketeers), Sam Windle (Chicago Steel)

Forwards: Garrett Allen (Fargo Force), Seth Ambroz (Omaha Lancers), Austin Czarnik (Green Bay Gamblers), Ryan Dzingel (Lincoln Stars), Robert Francis (Green Bay Gamblers), Max Gaede (Sioux City Musketeers), Caleb Herbert (Sioux City Musketeers), Cason Hohmann (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), Max McCormick (Sioux City Musketeers), Jimmy Mullin (Fargo Force), Michael Parks (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), Colten St. Clair (Fargo Force), Sam Warning (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders)

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