Williamsville NY’s Luce Committed to NTDP

NTDP Announces First Eight Commitments for 2014-15 Season

Five Forwards and Three Defensemen Named
to U.S. National Under-17 Team

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Forwards Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.), Trent Frederic (St. Louis, Mo.),Max Jones (Rochester, Mich.), Patrick Khodorenko (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and Nick Pastujov(Bradenton, Fla.), along with defensemen Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.), Griffin Luce (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Luke Martin (St. Louis, Mo.). will join USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the 2014-15 season it was announced today. The players, all from the 1998 birth year, will compete as members of the U.S. National Under-17 Team.

Anderson notched 21 goals and assisted on 29 others in 25 games with Hill-Murray School (Minn.). The forward held or shared team highs in goals, assists, points and short-handed tallies. Additionally, the former Pioneer potted four goals and registered two assists in three playoff games. Anderson is verbally committed to the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Frederic lit the lamp 11 times for the St. Louis Blues midget minor program of the Tier I Elite Hockey League, while adding 19 assists in 32 games played. The forward was first in points on his squad, tied for second in scoring (11) and lead in assists (19). Frederic skated in five playoff contests with the Blues, dishing out three assists.

Jones scored nine goals and registered 13 assists in 25 games with the Detroit Honeybaked midget major program of the High Performance Hockey League. The forward ranked fourth on his team in points.

Khodorenko tallied nine goals and collected a league-high 21 helpers in 22 games with the Detroit Honeybaked midget minor program of the HPHL. The forward accumulated 30 points, first on his squad and second most in the league, helping his team reach the Toyota-USA Hockey National Championships for the second consecutive year. Khodorenko also netted three game-winning goals and one power-play marker for Honeybaked.

Pastujov recorded 19 points in 15 games in the HPHL, including six goals and 13 assists, while with the Detroit Honeybaked midget minor program. His team won the Tier I Michigan State Championship to advance to Youth Nationals. Pastujov served as the captain of his squad during the 2013-14 season, ranking fourth on the team in assists and sixth in total points.

Krys skated in 27 games for the New Jersey Rockets 19U team. The defenseman scored one goal in one exhibition game and accumulated 30 points (8-22) in 26 regular season contests.

Luce played in 26 games for Salisbury (Conn.) Prep, scoring five goals and registering four assists for nine points en route to helping his team win the 2014 New England Prep Championship. Luce is verbally committed to the University of Michigan.

Martin scored four goals and added 17 asssts in 30 games for the St. Louis Blues midget minor team of the Tier I Elite Hockey League. He led all defensemen on the squad in points. The blueliner also skated in five playoff games for the Blues. Martin is verbally committed to the University of Michigan.

NOTES: The U.S. National Under-17 Team will play in the United States Hockey League, the top junior league in the United States. It will also compete in three international tournaments, including the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge … Max Jones is the son of former U.S. Men’s National Team (1987-88) forward Brad Jones. The elder Jones played with the University of Michigan (1983-97) and in 148 games for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers … Chad Krys is the son of former Boston University captain (1990-91) and defenseman, Mark Krys. The elder Krys skated for nine seasons in the AHL, ECHL, IHL and in Europe … Griffin Luce is the son of Scott Luce, director of scouting for the Florida Panthers. Additionally Griffin is the grandson of Don Luce, current pro scout for the Philadelphia Flyers and former NHL forward (New York Rangers, Detroit, Buffalo, Los Angeles, Toronto).

ABOUT THE NTDP: In 1996, USA Hockey launched a new initiative called the National Team Development Program, based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Celebrating its 17th season of play in 2013-14, 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.