OSHAWA, Ont. – The roster for the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team has been trimmed to 24 players. The United States will continue training camp here in Oshawa before playing its second and final pre-tournament game against the Czech Republic at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, on Friday, Dec. 23. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET.
“We knew coming into the camp that decisions would be difficult and that is a testament to these quality players and the talent pool available to us in the United States,” said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. “There are still some decisions to be made, but as a staff we are pleased by the team’s continued chemistry and unity that head coach Bob Motzko first started back in August.”
The 24-player roster includes three returnees from the bronze medal-winning 2016 U.S. National Junior Team, including defensemen Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn./Boston University) and Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y./Boston University and forward Colin White (Hanover, Mass./Boston College). For an updated 24-player roster, click here.
NOTES: The updated U.S. National Junior Team roster includes players from 10 states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Texas … Last night, the U.S. National Junior Team defeated Switzerland, 4-3, in a pre-tournament game at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ontario. For a full game recap, click here … USA Hockey will announce the final roster for the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team by Dec. 24 … Use the hashtag #USAWJC on Twitter to join the conversation about the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team … Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the eighth consecutive year … Bob Motzko (St. Cloud, Minn.), head coach of the 2017 U.S. National Junior Team, is joined behind the bench by assistant coaches Greg Brown (Scituate, Mass.), Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), Kris Mayotte (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Steve Miller (Colorado Springs, Colo.) … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams … At the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, the U.S. will compete in a group with Canada, Latvia, Russia and Slovakia. All U.S. games will be broadcast live on NHL Network. For more information about the tournament, please click here.
