PLYMOUTH, Mich. – USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, which enters its 19th season on ice in 2015-16, today announced the schedule for its U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams. Tickets for all home games, to be played at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, are available now through the box office.
The Under-17 Team kicks off the 2015-16 campaign with preseason contests on Sept. 12-13 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, against the United States Hockey League’s Bloomington Thunder and Madison Capitols. It will begin USHL regular-season play on the road against the Chicago Steel on Sept. 26, and will make its USA Hockey Arena debut on Oct. 16 against Madison.
The U17s will compete internationally at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, British Columbia, from Oct. 30 – Nov. 7; the 2015 Four Nations Tournament Dec. 15-20 in Slovakia; and the 2016 Five Nations Tournament Feb. 9-14 in Plymouth, Michigan.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team opens its season on the road in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with preseason tilts against the Muskegon Lumberjacks (Sept. 12) and Cedar Rapids RoughRidgers (Sept. 13). The Under-18 Team welcomes Chicago of the USHL on Oct. 9 for the first game at USA Hockey Arena and follows that match-up with a home contest against the University of Notre Dame on Oct. 11.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team will compete in the 2015 Four Nations Tournament from Nov. 3-8 in Switzerland, and the 2016 Five Nations Tournament from Feb. 9-14 in Finland.
NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams utilize The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary software program that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visit USAHockeyIntelliGym.com.
ABOUT THE NTDP: In 1996, USA Hockey launched a new initiative called the National Team Development Program, originally based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In March of 2015 the USA Hockey Foundation purchased Compuware Arena (now USA Hockey Arena) in Plymouth, Michigan, which will become the new home of the NTDP for the 2015-16 season. The goal of this 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.
