PLYMOUTH, Mich. – Twenty-three players including 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders have been selected to join USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, it was announced. The players, all from the 2006 birth year, will compete as the U.S. National Under-17 Team for the 2022-23 season.
“We were thrilled with the level of play at our March evaluation camp,” said Kevin Reiter, the NTDP’s director of player personnel. “It seems that each year, the overall talent of our pool grows deeper, and we can’t thank our volunteers all across the country enough for their hard work and dedication to youth hockey. Selecting this year’s team was incredibly difficult. We’d like to thank all of the players and families who were involved in the process and we are very much looking forward to our new group of U17s.”
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.
The 23 players come from eight different states; Minnesota leads the way with seven representatives, while Illinois follows with five and Michigan has three.
The complete roster is listed below.
ABOUT THE NTDP: USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program is completing its 25th 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.
2022-23 U.S. National Under-17 Team
| POSITION | NAME | BIRTHDAY | SHOT/CATCH | HOMETOWN | 2021-22 TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Austin Baker | Feb. 12, 2006 | L | White Lake, Mich. | Little Caesars 15O |
| Forward | Kamil Bednarik | May 26, 2006 | L | Elmhurt, Ill. | New Jersey Rockets 16U |
| Forward | Cole Eiserman | Aug. 29, 2006 | L | Newburyport, Mass. | Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep |
| Forward | Kristian Epperson | May 15, 2006 | L | Mequon, Wis. | Shattuck St. Mary’s 15O |
| Forward | James Hagens | Nov. 3, 2006 | L | Hauppauge, N.Y. | Mount St. Charles 15O |
| Forward | Christian Humphreys | Feb. 4, 2006 | R | McMurray, Pa. | Bishop Kearney Selects 16U |
| Forward | Brendan McMorrow | March 27, 2006 | L | Lakeville, Minn. | Benilde St. Margaret’s (MN) |
| Forward | Charlie Pardue | Jan. 5, 2006 | R | Winnetka, Ill. | Chicago Mission 15O |
| Forward | Max Plante | Feb. 20, 2006 | L | Hermantown, Minn. | Hermantown HS (MN) |
| Forward | Teddy Stiga | April 5, 2006 | L | Sudbury, Mass. | Belmont Hill School (MA) |
| Forward | Shane Vansaghi | Oct. 11, 2006 | R | St. Louis, Mo. | St. Louis AAA Blues 16U |
| Forward | Lucas VanVliet | Jan. 25, 2006 | L | Livonia, Mich. | Little Caesars 15O |
| Forward | Brodie Ziemer | Feb. 22, 2006 | R | Carver, Minn. | Shattuck St. Mary’s 15O |
| Defense | EJ Emery | March 30, 2006 | R | Surrey, B.C. | Yale Hockey Academy 17U |
| Defense | Logan Hensler | Oct. 14, 2006 | R | Woodbury, Minn. | Hill Murray High School (MN) |
| Defense | Cole Hutson | June 28, 2006 | L | North Barrington, Ill. | North Jersey Avalanche 16U |
| Defense | Noah Lapointe | June 5, 2006 | L | Hinsdale, Ill. | Shattuck St. Mary’s 15O |
| Defense | Sam Laurila | Sept. 2, 2006 | L | Moorhead, Minn. | Moorhead Spuds Bantam AA |
| Defense | Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen | Dec. 18, 2006 | L | Northville, Mich. | Honeybaked 15O |
| Defense | Will Skahan | May 14, 2006 | L | Woodbury, Minn. | St. Thomas Academy (MN) |
| Defense | John Whipple | Jan. 20, 2006 | L | Excelsior, Minn. | Shattuck St. Mary’s 15O |
| Goaltender | Nicholas Kempf | March 1, 2006 | L | Morton Grove, Ill. | Chicago Mission 15O |
| Goaltender | Jack Parsons | Jan. 15, 2006 | L | Cortland, N.Y. | Mount St. Charles 15O |
