| Roster include 23 players who will compete for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program |
| PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Thirteen forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders have been selected to join USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, it was announced today. The 23 players, all from the 2004 birth year, will compete as the U.S. National Under-17 Team during the 2020-21 season.“We’re thrilled about the bright, young talent that will make up our U17 roster next season,” said Kevin Reiter, director of player personnel for the NTDP. “While we weren’t able to hold our typical evaluation camp because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s just one component of our overall process. We’re fortunate to have a terrific network of scouts, along with our own staff, in place to help in selecting the team. In the end, it’s never easy to get to the final roster as there are so many talented players in our country.” The NTDP is a two-year residency program for high-performance players that is located at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.The Under-17 Team plays in the United States Hockey League, the only Tier I junior hockey league in the United States, as well as against select competition in the North American Hockey League and Minnesota Elite League. Each season, the U17 Team also competes in three international tournaments. To view the complete roster, click here. NOTES: Seventeen states are represented on the roster, with Minnesota leading the way with eight natives. Michigan follows with seven, while New Jersey has two players. Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are each home to one player … The 2020-21 U.S. National Under-17 Team will be led by head coach Seth Appert (Cottage Grove, Minn.) … Appert will be joined by associate coach Nick Fohr (Grand Forks, N.D.) and assistant coach Brent Darnell (Canton, Mich.) … The team’s first international competition will take place in Charlottetown and Summerside, Prince Edward Island, where they will compete in the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November. ABOUT THE NTDP: USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program is in its 23rd season of competition and is based at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. The goal of the full-time development program is to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice. |
