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USHL Players to Compete in World Junior A Challenge
Thursday October 18, 2012
NHL Draft picks Jaccob Slavin, Robbie Baillargeon, and Vince Hinostroza are among 21 USHL players that will represent the United States at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge. (photos by MJB Images, Whiteshark Photography, and Britta Lewis)
21 USHL players to compete in international tournament
USA Hockey today released the roster for the U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete in the 2012 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia on November 5-11. A total of 21 players from the USHL have been named to the roster for the Under-20 tournament.
The team annually is made up of USHL players and coaches and has won the event in three of the last four years. In addition to the United States, this year’s tournament features teams representing four other countries, including Canada East, Canada West, Czech Republic, Russia, and Switzerland.
Nine USHL teams have at least one player on the team, led by the Waterloo Black Hawks who have six current players named to the roster. Four of the players were selected in the 2012 NHL Draft – Chicago Steel defenseman Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Indiana Ice forward Robbie Baillargeon (Ottawa Senators), and Waterloo Black Hawks forwards Vince Hinostroza (Chicago Blackhawks) and Zach Stepan (Nashville Predators).
Hinostroza, Youngstown Phantoms forward Austin Cangelosi, and Waterloo Black Hawks defenseman Ian McCoshen are competing in the event for the second consecutive season after helping the U.S. team capture bronze in 2011.
Three of the players on the roster have been rated by NHL Central Scouting as “A” players, potential first-round selections in the 2013 NHL Draft, including Ian McCoshen, Dubuque Fighting Saints defenseman Michael Downing, and Lincoln Stars forward Luke Johnson.
This year’s team is being led by Brett Larson, head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers, and will be assisted by Derek Lalonde, head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers, and R.J. Enga, assistant coach for the Chicago Steel. Also on the team staff is equipment manager Darrin Flinchem of the Indiana Ice and athletic trainer Todd Klein of the Waterloo Black Hawks.
USHL Players on U.S. Junior Select Team
Goaltenders
Michael Bitzer, Lincoln Stars
Eamon McAdam, Waterloo Black Hawks
Defensemen
Ian Brady, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Michael Downing, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Blake Heinrich, Sioux City Musketeers
Dan Molenaar, Sioux City Musketeers
Ian McCoshen, Waterloo Black Hawks
Jaccob Slavin, Chicago Steel
Justin Woods, Lincoln Stars
Forwards
Robbie Baillargeon, Indiana Ice
Taylor Cammarata, Waterloo Black Hawks
Austin Cangelosi, Youngstown Phantoms
Sheldon Dries, Green Bay Gamblers
Thomas Ebbing, Chicago Steel
Vince Hinostroza, Waterloo Black Hawks
Luke Johnson, Lincoln Stars
Alex Kile, Green Bay Gamblers
Justin Kloos, Waterloo Black Hawks
Nicholas Schilkey, Green Bay Gamblers
J.T. Stenglein, Youngstown Phantoms
Zach Stepan, Waterloo Black Hawks
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 11th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2012-13. With 18 NHL Draft picks on team rosters and over 200 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools this season, the USHL has emerged as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive). Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).
It’s not just hockey. It’s the USHL.
