COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Goaltender Ryan Bednard (Macomb, Mich./Youngstown Phantoms) and defenseman Keegan Ford (Waunakee, Wis./Dubuque Fighting Saints) have been named to the U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge, it was announced today by USA Hockey.
The tournament will take place from Dec. 13-19 in Cobourg and Whitby, Ontario, Canada. A complete U.S. roster can be found here.
Bednard, a 2015 draft pick of the Florida Panthers (7th rd., 206 ovr.), will represent the U.S. for the first time at the upcoming World Junior A Challenge. Ford previously represented the U.S. at the 2012 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament, helping Team USA capture first place.
Both Bednard and Ford competed in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, an annual event featuring the top American players eligible for the NHL Entry Draft. Ford competed in the 2013 event, while Bednard played in 2014.
FASTHockey to Stream All Tournament Games; Championship Game on TSN
FASTHockey will provide live streaming coverage of all 2015 World Junior A Challenge games except for the championship game, which will be aired on TSN in Canada. Current subscribers of FASTHockey can watch the games with their active subscription. Users whose subscriptions have expired can simply log in to their existing FASTHockey account and activate a new subscription. New users to FASTHockey should go to USAHockey.FASTHockey.com and register for an account. Once confirmed, the user can select from several subscription packages to watch live or on-demand from virtually any device.
NOTES: To see the complete schedule and for full Team USA coverage, click here … Marc Boxer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will serve as general manager of the 2015 U.S. Junior Select Team. Cary Eades (Fargo, N.D./Fargo Force) will serve as head coach. Brian Kaufman (Shoreview, Minn./Omaha Lancers) and Dallas Steward (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chicago Steel) are assistant coaches. Additionally, Phil Faught (Fargo, N.D./Fargo Force) will serve as trainer; Jason Smits (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon Lumberjacks) as equipment manager; and Dr. Alan Ashare (Boston, Mass.) as team doctor … The World Junior A Challenge is in its tenth year, and the United States is competing for the ninth time. The U.S. has won six of the last seven tournaments (2008-2010, 2012-14) … The 2015 field includes Canada East, Canada West, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Russia and the United States … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. teams that compete internationally.