USHL returners make up core of US team for Ivan Hlinka tourney

As usual, the United States Hockey League will be well represented at the annual Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Slovakia and Czech Republic in August.

USA Hockey held a massive tryout camp at Amherst, NY, whittling 10-teams of U-18 players down to two teams for the tryout ending All-Star Game and finally, one 22-player roster that will represent the USA at the tournament which starts Aug. 7 at Breclav in Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia. All the players have 2000 birth years and most are eligible for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Of the 22 players – seven defensemen, 13 forwards and two goaltenders – 16 call the American Midwest Region home and 12 of them played in the USHL last season. Almost all of them will likely find a home in the Tier I league this fall.

The US National Development Team Program (USNDTP) was home to three of the players including defensemen Will MacKinnon and Adam Samuelsson and forward Blade Jenkins.

MacKinnon, 5’11, 200 lbs., a native of Port Clinton, OH played on the US National U17 team in the USHL last season, appearing in 56 games and collecting three assists. He also played in a game for the U-18 team and he played five international games with the National U-17 team.

Samuelsson, a 6’5, 233 lbs. blue line from California also played seven games with the U-17 Team USA squad in the USHL and nine others with the National U-17 team last season.

Jenkins, a 6’2” 196 lbs. forward from Jackson, MI played 56 games for the U-17 Team USA in the USHL, putting up eight points (4g, 4a) and he also played one game with the U-18 squad and another five with the U-17 National team.

Jenkins will move on to the Ontario Hockey League this season with the Saginaw Spirit while both MacKinnon and Samuelsson are expected to graduate to the USNDTP U-18 squad.

Lincoln Stars are represented by a pair as twin defensemen Christian and Cole Krygier, from Novi, MI were both selected to patrol the blue line for the National Team.

According to the roster, Cole is an inch taller at 6’3 and two pounds heavier at 190 lbs. Last season, Christian put up five points (2g, 3a) in 50 games with the Stars while Cole added six points (3g, 3a) in 37 games. Christian also played 10-games with the National U-17 team.

Both have already verbally committed to move on to University of Wisconsin in the fall of 2019.

Waterloo Black Hawks’ defenseman Michael Ferrandino, a 5’10”, 170 lbs. native of Lisle, IL will also play on the National team blue line. Ferrandino played his rookie season in the USHL last year collecting nine assists in 47 games after playing AAA with the Chicago Young Americans.

Black Hawks teammate, Jack Drury, a 5’11,” 180 lbs. forward from Winnetka, IL put up 12 points (4g, 8a) in 44 games with Waterloo last season and will return to the Iowa city this season as he prepares to move on to Harvard University where he has already committed for the fall of 2018.

Also helping the National team blue line will be Jacob Semik, a 6’1,” 175 lbs. defender from Canton, MI who played last season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

Semik collected seven points (3g, 4a) in 36 games at Dubuque and he also played a half-dozen games with the National U-17 team where he collected another five points (2g, 3a). Semik is expected to return to the Fighting Saints this fall and has already committed to attend the University of Michigan in 2018.

Ryder Donovan, a 6’3,” 180 lbs. forward from Duluth, MN collected 30 points (10g, 20a) in 24 games at Duluth East High School last season and played another 21 on the Team North All Star squad where he picked up another 13 points (2g, 11a). Donovan attended the Fighting Saints training camp earlier this summer and is expected to make the move to Dubuque to start the 2017-18 season.

Rounding out the team’s D-Corps is Stanislav (Slava) Demin, a native of California who played last season with the Wenatchee Wild of the BCHL (British Columbia). Demin, a 6’1,” 183 lbs. defender collected 27 points (5g, 22a) in 53 games with the Wild. He has committed to attend University of Denver in the fall of 2019.

Jack Randl, a 5’11,” 185 lbs. forward from Carpentersville, IL played last season with the Omaha Lancers, collecting 19 points (9g, 10a) in 59 games and he will likely return to Nebraska this fall as he prepares to start at the University of Michigan next fall.

Blake McLaughlin, a 5’11,” 160 lbs. forward from Grand Rapids, MN started last season with his home town High School team, putting up 49 points (16g, 33a) in 25 games with Grand Rapids High School before moving on to play with the USHL champion Chicago Steel. McLaughlin played another 11 games there and collected a couple of assists. He should be back in the Windy City this fall and has already made a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota for the fall of 2019.

Gavin Hain, a 6’0,” 188 lbs. forward from Grand Rapids, MN was a teammate of McLaughlin last season, wearing the ‘C’ for the High School team and picking up 48 points (24g, 24a) in 24 games. He also moved on to the USHL at season’s end, adding five more points (3g, 2a) with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.

Hain will likely play in Sioux Falls again this fall and he has already committed to attend North Dakota University.

Curtis Hall, a 6’2,” 195 lbs. forward from Chagrin Falls, OH, played 59 games for the Youngstown Phantoms last season, putting up 21 points (7g, 14a). He will be back on the Ohio team for the upcoming season and has already committed to Yale University for the fall of 2018.

Ryan Savage, a 5’11,” 184 lbs. forward from Troy, MI started this past season with the Honeybaked (U16) team collecting 18 points (8g, 10a) in 17 games before moving on to the Fargo Force where he appeared in six games and collected an assist.

Savage has already made a commitment to play at the University of Miami (Ohio) beginning in the fall of 2019.

Jack Jensen, a 6’2,” 195 lbs. from Eden Prairie, MN played for Eden Prairie High School this past season, collecting 38 points (16g, 22a) in 25 games and then adding another 16 points (6g, 10a) in 20 games with Team Southwest All Stars.

Jensen was picked up by the Tri-City Storm out of its summer camp and will play there in the fall as he prepares to move on to University of Minnesota where he has committed beginning in the fall of 2019.

Rounding out the Team USA Forwards are:

Connor Caponi, a 5’9,” 180 lbs. forward from Brookfield, WI who has played the previous two seasons with the Culver Military Academy Prep Team where he plans to return in the fall. Caponi has made a verbal commitment to Yale University for the fall of 2020;

Brady Meyer, a 6’5,” 190 lbs. forward from Stacy, MN played for North Branch High School this past season, collecting 54 points (21g, 33a) in 24 games and he has already committed to attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth beginning in the fall of 2019.

Kyle Haskins, a 5’11,” 188 lbs. forward from Vermont played with Selects Hockey Academy from the USPHL U-16 League this past season, collecting five points (2g, 3a) in six games;

Philippe Lapointe, a 5’11,” 190 lbs. forward from Burr Ridge, IL attended Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School in Minnesota this past season. Lapointe collected 59 points (15g, 44a) at Shattuck and has made a verbal commitment to attend University of Michigan beginning in the fall of 2018.

Sharing the crease for Team USA will be: Ben Kraws, a 6’2,” 158-pound goaltender from New Jersey who played 21 games with Buffalo Jr. Sabres (U16) posting a Goals Against Average of 1.71 and a Save Percentage of .932. He also played a game with the Jr. Sabres of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, allowing two goals and posting a .917 SP;

Isaiah Saville, a 6’1,” 180 lbs. goalie from Alaska who played in 16 games with the Colorado Thunderbirds (U16), posting a 2.13 GAA and a SP of .915.

Coaching Staff

Clark Donatelli, Head Coach of the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be behind the bench for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament along with a group of five assistants, including: Nick Fohr, from Grand Forks, ND, Assistant Coach for the US National Development Team in the USHL; J.D. Forrest who is also Donatelli’s Assistant at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; Cory Laylin, from St. Cloud, MN, Head Coach at Hamline University; Matt Millar, Director of Hockey Operations and Goaltender Coach with the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Scott Paluch, a native of Bowling Green, OH who formerly coached at Bowling Green State as a Head Coach as well as Boston College and Bowling Green as an assistant coach over a successful 20 year coaching career.

Mark Kumpel, a former assistant with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League and more recently head coach of the South African National team, will be on board as Team Leader and Kevin McLaughlin, an assistant coach at Cheyenne Mountain High School will be the Team Manager.

Past Performances.

Team USA will be looking to break through this season coming off a silver medal performance in 2016. Team USA has not won the event since 2003 but has been on the medal podium at the end of three of the past four events.

Team USA will begin with a pair of exhibition contests, playing Team Hungary in Budapest on Aug. 3 and then facing off against Czech Republic at Bratislava two days later.

At the tournament, Team USA will play in one of two four-team pools, with all three of its round robin games to be played at Breclav.

In the first game, USA will meet Sweden on Aug. 7 and the following team, Switzerland will be the opponent, wrapping up on Aug. 9 against Czech Republic. Rankings at the end of round robin matches will determine the opponents Team USA will square off against on Aug. 11 and 12.