COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the 17-player roster for the 2015-16 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. The group includes 15 returnees from the 2015 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that claimed gold at the 2015 International Paralympic Committee Sled Hockey World Championship in Buffalo, New York.
“We’re thrilled with the competition we witnessed at the tryouts this past weekend,” said Dan Brennan, director of inline and sled hockey for USA Hockey and the general manager of the 2015-16 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “The depth we witnessed at the camp was incredible and affords us the ability to select top quality character players for both the national and developmental teams. The future is very bright for the U.S. National Sled Hockey program.”
Goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.) is back for his 11th season with Team USA. He backstopped the U.S. to gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Paralympic Winter Games as well as the 2009, 2012, and 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships.
On defense, Team USA welcomes back Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.), who earned the directorate award as Best Defenseman of the 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship, in addition to Tyler Carron (Fort Collins, Colo.), Billy Hanning (Festus, Mo.) and two-time Paralympic gold medalist Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.).
Ten forwards return from the 2014-15 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, including the trio of Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Kevin McKee (Chicago, Ill.) and Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) that accounted for 53 points in 13 games last season. They are joined by Chris Douglas (Saint Cloud, Fla.), Luke McDermott (Westerlo, N.Y.), Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.), Dan McCoy (Cheswick, Pa.), two-time Paralympic gold medalist Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.), Paul Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.), and Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.).
The newcomers to the 2015-16 roster are goaltender Bo Reichenbach (Bethesda, Md.) and defenseman Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.). Reichenbach, a first time member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, spent the past two seasons (2013-15) with the U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team. Roman’s appearance is his third on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, having helped Team USA claim gold at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2012 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship in Hamar, Norway.
For the complete U.S. National Sled Hockey Team roster, click here.
Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.) begins his fifth season as head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.
The roster for the 2015-16 U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team was determined today as well. The squad trains regularly with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team and is coached by Mike MacMillan (Buffalo, Minn.), USA Hockey’s national coach-in-chief.
For the complete U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team roster, click here.
NOTES: Dan Brennan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), director of sled and inline national teams for USA Hockey, is serving as the general manager of the 2015-16 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. Additional staff members include team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.) … Jeremy Kennedy (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey manager of membership and disabled hockey, is the general manager of the 2015-16 U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team. Mike MacMillan (Buffalo, Minn.), USA Hockey’s national coach-in-chief, is the head coach of the U.S. National Developmental Sled Team. U.S. Paralympians Kip St. Germaine (East Falmouth, Mass.) and Mike Blabac (Hamburg, N.Y.) are serving as associate head coach and assistant coach, while Rett Talbot (Delray Beach, Fla.) is the team’s physiotherpist and Bill Sandberg (Parker, Colo.) is serving as equipment manager.
