COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Twenty-two players who participated at the USA Hockey Boys Select 17 Player Development Camp have been chosen for the 2015 U.S. Under-18 Select Team that will compete Aug. 10-15 at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.
The week-long Boys Select 17 Player Development Camp concluded today at the Northtown Center in Williamsville, New York, with its annual all-star game and Hlinka Tournament roster selection.
The 2015 U.S. Under-18 Select Team features 10 players who helped the U.S. Under-17 Select Team secure second place at the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament, held last summer in Crimmitschau, Germany. They include Henry Crone (Cedar Hills, Texas), Ty Farmer (O’Fallon, Mo.), Timmy Gettinger (North Olmsted, Ohio), William Knierim (Skokie, Ill.), Andrew Peeke (Parkland, Fla.), Dayton Rasmussen (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Samuel Rossini (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), Riley Tufte (Ham Lake, Minn.), Garrett Wait (Edina, Minn.) and Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane, Wash.).
Derek Plante (Cloquet, Minn.), who recently completed his fifth season as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth, will serve as head coach of the 2015 U.S. Under-18 Select Team. His assistant coaches will be Clark Donatelli (Providence, R.I.), Bob Mancini (Seaford, N.Y.) and Phil Osaer (Livonia, Mich.).
The Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is an annual event held each August for national under-18 teams from around the world. Named for one of the first Czech hockey stars, the tournament began in 1991 as a three-team showcase. Between 1997 and 2002, the format shifted to the current eight-team tournament. It was then named after Hlinka in 2007, three years after his passing.
NOTES: The 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup will include teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States … With a third-place showing in 2014, Team USA has finished in the top three of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup 12 times since the tournament began in 1991. The U.S. earned first place in 2003, second on eight occasions (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2013) and third three times (1991, 1995, 2014). The U.S. is seeking its third consecutive top-three finish at the event, a feat it hasn’t accomplished since a run of four consecutive top-three finishes from 1993-96 … The 22 players on the roster represent 13 different states. Minnesota leads the pack with six representatives, Michigan has three, Illinois and New York have two each … The annual USA Hockey Boys Select 17 Player Development Camp provides top young players with on- and off-ice training and instruction as well as the opportunity to compete at the national level against other top players from their age group.
