POSTED: Wednesday February 9th 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Team Development Program Weekly Update

U.S. National Under-18 and Under-17 Teams Shift Focus to International Competition

TEAM USA HEADS OVERSEAS: The U.S. National Under-18 Team begins play in the 2011 Under-18 Five Nations tournament today (Feb. 9) against Sweden at 12:30 p.m. ET, in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. The U.S. will then face off against Russia on Thursday (Feb. 10) and the Czech Republic on Friday (Feb. 11). The round-robin tournament concludes on Sunday (Feb. 13) with a tilt against Finland.

Meanwhile, the U.S. National Under-17 Team will compete in the 2011 Vlad Dzurilla tournament, held in Piestany, Slovakia. The action begins when the U.S. faces Switzerland on Friday (Feb. 11) at 9:15 a.m. ET. Team USA will then compete against Germany (Feb. 12) and Slovakia (Feb. 13).

USA Hockey coverage of the tournaments, including schedules and game recaps, can be found at USAHockey.com. Live scoring updates will also be available by following @USAHockeyScores on Twitter.

U18 TEAM TOPS TRI-CITY STORM: Four Team USA players recorded multiple point nights, as the Under-18 Team topped the Tri-City Storm, 6-1, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube last weekend. For a full game recap, click the link below.

U17 TEAM SINKS CHICAGO IN SHOOTOUT: Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.) scored during the shootout, as the Under-17 Team defeated the Chicago Steel, 2-1, in United States Hockey League action at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Ill. For a full game recap, click the link below.

NTDP ALUMNI UPDATE: Milwaukee Admirals forward and 2010 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner, Blake Geoffrion (Brentwood, Tenn./2004-06) is currently on a four-game point streak, with five goals and eight assists for 13 points, with a plus-8 rating during that span. Last week, Geoffrion was again selected as the American Hockey League Player of the Week, becoming the first player in 16 years to receive the honor two weeks in a row ... Manitoba Moose forward Bill Sweatt (Elburn, Ill./2004-06) is currently on a three-game point streak, scoring two goals and adding three assists during that span. Sweatt has 34 points (13-21) in 49 games which places him tied for third in points by a rookie in the AHL ... Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./2007-09) and Colorado Avalanche D-man Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y./2005-07) are currently ranked first and second in rookie defensemen points in the National Hockey League. Fowler has 28 points (6-22) in 48 games and Shattenkirk is just two points behind with 26 (7-19).

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Keywords · USA Hockey · Team USA · Under 18 · Five Nations · 2011 Vlad Dzurilla · Under 17 · NTDP

Name: Jake Wesolek
Organization: USA Hockey
Email:
Phone: 17343279251317
URL: http://www.usahockey.com

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