Men's Ice Hockey | 7/27/2026 5:03:00 PM
USA Hockey announced that 13 players from the United States Hockey League (USHL) have made the 23-man U.S. Under-18 Select Team, which will compete in the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup from Aug. 3-8, 2026 in Edmonton, Alberta.
| First Name |
Last Name |
POS |
Hometown |
USHL Team |
| Gunnar |
Conboy |
F |
Lakeville, Minn. |
Green Bay Gamblers |
| Joey |
Cullen |
F |
Moorhead, Minn. |
U.S. National Under-17 Team |
| Rylan |
Hanson |
D |
Zimmerman, Minn. |
Sioux Falls Stampede |
| Charlie |
Mineman |
D |
St. Louis, Mo. |
U.S. National Under-18 Team |
| Luke |
Pietila |
F |
Howell, Mich. |
Green Bay Gamblers |
| Jake |
Prunty |
D |
Lake Hopatcong, N.J. |
U.S. National Under-18 Team |
| Nash |
Roed |
F |
White Bear Lake, Minn. |
U.S. National Under-18 Team |
| Ryland |
Rooney |
F |
Dellwood, Minn. |
Sioux Falls Stampede |
| Trevor |
Shorter |
D |
Elmhurst, Ill. |
Chicago Steel |
| Ethan |
Sung |
F |
Pasadena, Calif. |
Sioux Falls Stampede |
| Beck |
Thoreson |
D |
Moorhead, Minn. |
U.S. National Under-18 Team |
| Becker |
Wenkus |
D |
Edina, Minn. |
Des Moines Buccaneers |
| Brandon |
Wright |
G |
Grant, Minn. |
Dubuque Fighting Saints |
The roster includes players who participated in the USA Hockey Boys National 17 Festival. The U.S. will face Canada, Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Sweden in Edmonton. Last year, the U.S. won the tournament for the first time since 2003 and the second time in history. The selection camp was held from July 23-27 in St. Paul, Minn.
USA Hockey's Director of Junior Hockey Marc Boxer will serve as general manager of the U.S., while USHL general managers Rod Braceful (NTDP) and Tony Gasparini (Sioux Falls) will aid with player personnel. Former Waterloo Black Hawk and Dartmouth coach Reid Cashman was announced as head coach. Todd Knott, who played in Lincoln and worked as a coach and general manager in Des Moines and Sioux City, as welll as former Tri-City assistant coach Troy Thibodeau will serve as assistant coaches.
About the USHL
The United States Hockey League (USHL) and its 16 teams are committed to being the world's leading junior hockey league. This season, more than 50% of NCAA Division I men's hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience. The USHL has developed more than 315 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020, and nine of the last 10 Hobey Baker Award winners, including Macklin Celebrini (Chicago Steel).
Elevated through the recently announced Declaration of Excellence with the NHL and USA Hockey, the league's player-first approach, including a 2:1 practice-to-game ratio and a schedule with 90% of games played on weekends, provides its players with the optimal environment for athletic and personal growth, creating pathways for the next generation of stars like Auston Matthews (NTDP), Kyle Connor (Youngstown Phantoms), Jeremy Swayman (Sioux Falls Stampede), and Johnny Gaudreau (Dubuque Fighting Saints).