World Jr. A Challenge: Preliminary Round Recap

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Chris Peters

The U.S. Junior Select Team came in to the World Junior A Challenge as three-time defending champ and the likely favorite to take its fourth title. With a team full of USHL players and the two best Americans skating in the BCHL, there’s a lot to like about Team USA.

However, the road to the title hit a pretty sizable speedbump in the form of Oscar Dansk, Team Sweden goaltender and a product of Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

In its first game, Team USA peppered Dansk with 51 shots, including a few on breakaways, but the 1994-born netminder stopped every one of them. With just six seconds remaining in regulation Ludvig Nilsson’s shot bounced off and over goaltender Zane Gothberg and into the net. Sweden took the first prelim round game, 1-0.

The U.S. had 48 hours to stew over the loss and came out guns blazing Wednesday night against tournament host, Canada West. Behind a two-goal, one-assist performance from Wild draft pick and Notre Dame-bound Mario Lucia, Team USA dominated Canada-West, 6-1.

After finishing 1-1 in the prelim round, the U.S. ended up in second place in Group A, meaning Sweden got the bye to the semifinals. The U.S. will meet Russia today at 4 p.m. PST (7 p.m. EST Live on FASTHockey.com for free) in quarterfinal action. Should Team USA get past the Russians, they’ll have to face Group B winner, Canada-East.

Coming up after the jump, a look at some of Team USA’s top performers and overall team analysis…

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NHL Draft, U.S. National Teams | Comments Off on World Jr. A Challenge: Preliminary Round Recap

Try Hockey For Free Day Attracts More Than 11,000 Youths

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Chris Peters

This past Saturday, more than 11,000 kids tried hockey for the first time. Children between the ages of four and nine got to skate, handle a puck, play some games and wear the equipment that looks so cool on TV. It’s safe to say at the very least, a few thousand kids caught the bug Saturday.

Similar to telling your skeptical friend not to judge hockey until they actually see a live game, most people involved in youth hockey feel (and I do too) that all you have to do is just get a kid to try it once. By taking away the burden of cost this one time, thousands of kids who would not have previously tried hockey gave it a shot. Chances are, a good portion of them will be coming back.

Coming up after the jump, a look at some of the numbers provided by USA Hockey regarding this wildly successful event…

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Posted in Grow the Game, NHL, USA Hockey, Youth Hockey | 1 Comment

American Prospect Update: Four Nations Cup Previews

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Chris Peters

In a player’s NHL Entry Draft-eligible year, how he plays against his draft peers can have a big impact on how that player is viewed by scouts. That is a big reason international competition can be so important for a player in his draft season.

This week, the U.S. National Under-18 Team, from which 20 players are eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, will be competing at the 2011 Under-18 Four Nations Cup in Monthey, Switzerland. Team USA will take on opponents from Switzerland, Sweden and Finland in a round-robin format. The team with the best record at the end of the weekend wins the Cup.

The tournament officially begins Friday, but the U.S. will meet Switzerland at 11:30 a.m. ET today in a pre-tournament tilt.

The U.S. plays for real Friday, with a tournament-opening match-up against Sweden (6:30 a.m. ET), followed by Finland Saturday (6:30 a.m. ET) and closes it out against the tournament host Sunday (9 a.m. ET). Live statistics for the event can be followed here.

Coming up after the jump, a quick preview of some of the players that can help themselves in a big way in Switzerland and a brief look at the 2011 Under-17 Four Nations Cup, which will be running simultaneously in Russia.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams | Comments Off on American Prospect Update: Four Nations Cup Previews

Blockbuster Deal in USHL Includes Top Draft Prospect, Questions

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Chris Peters

The big news in the prospect world over the last few weeks has been the flurry of trades occurring in Junior hockey. Most of the trades were going down in the Ontario Hockey League, with the biggest being top American goaltender Jack Campbell getting shipped out of Windsor to the Soo Greyhounds.

Monday, however, the United States Hockey League had a megadeal of its own when Sioux City sent its best player and top 2012 NHL Draft Prospect, Jordan Schmaltz, to the Green Bay Gamblers in exchange for David Goodwin, Andy Ryan, Dan Molenaar and USHL affiliate Jacob Montgomery.

Ryan S. Clark of Slightly Chilled, the blog you simply must read if you have any interest in the USHL and/or prospects from that league and/or song-title headlines, broke down the deal splendidly here.

This is an important deal in the USHL for a number of reasons. More after the jump… Continue reading →

Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NHL Draft | 2 Comments

This Week In The United States of Hockey

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Chris Peters

It’s been a bit of a lighter content week here at USofH, due to some early-in-the-week travel and various projects, so I figured we should get caught up on what turned out to be a fairly busy week in American hockey.

Among the highlights of this week, was NBC Sports Group’s announcement that it will cover 16 college hockey games on the soon-to-be-renamed VERSUS beginning Dec. 31.  Also, USA Hockey announced that it will be sending a team to the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in January and also unveiled that team’s roster. Also, did you know we’re in the first few days of Come Play Youth Hockey Month? Well, we are. Find out more about Come Play Youth Hockey Month and how we’ll cover it on USofH.

All of that after the jump…

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Posted in American Prospects, Grow the Game, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, Youth Hockey | 1 Comment

USofH on the Air: Gospel of Hockey Podcast (11/3/2011)

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Chris Peters

I’ll be joining Matt Gajtka and Larry Snyder on the triumphant return of the Gospel of Hockey podcast at 6:30 p.m. ET on Blog Talk Radio.

We’ll be chatting about the U.S. roster for the World Junior A Challenge, how national teams are selected, USHL Draft prospects, the NTDP, smelly hockey equipment and whatever else strikes the hosts’ fancy.

You can catch it live, right here. The archive will also be available at the same link. Tune in, won’t you?

Posted in American Prospects, Blog News, Junior Hockey, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, Youth Hockey | Comments Off on USofH on the Air: Gospel of Hockey Podcast (11/3/2011)

U.S. World Junior Spotlight: Bill Arnold

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Chris Peters

Bill Arnold (Photo: Dave Arnold)

Bill Arnold — Center
Hometown: Needham, Mass.     Birthdate: May 13, 1992
Height/Weight: 6’0″/215
Current Team: Boston College (HEA)
NHL Rights: Calgary Flames (2010, 4th Rd., 108th Overall)
National Team Experience: National Team Development Program (2009-10), U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team (gold, 2010); U.S. Under-17 Select Team (2008)

After a solid showing at the 2011 National Junior Evaluation Camp, Bill Arnold has been on a tear in his sophomore season at Boston College. With 12 points through BC’s first eight games, Arnold leads the team and is among the nation’s leaders in points.

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Posted in American Prospects, NCAA, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | Comments Off on U.S. World Junior Spotlight: Bill Arnold

American Prospect Update: World Junior A Challenge Preview

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Chris Peters

It’s November, which means we’re nearing the International Ice Hockey Federation’s first international break. Each year, the IIHF has windows in which European clubs take time off to allow their players to compete in various international tournaments including the World Championship events. The second week of November is designated as one of those breaks.

USA Hockey will be sending teams to compete in the Women’s Four Nations Cup, Men’s Under-17 Four Nations Cup, Deutschland Cup (featuring American players skating in European professional leagues), and also two tournaments featuring players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry draft. Those tournaments are the 2011 Under-18 Four Nations Cup, in Monthey, Switzerland, and the 2011 World Junior A Challenge in Langley B.C.

Today’s American Prospect Update will focus on the U.S. Junior Select Team (roster) heading to take on top players from Sweden, Russia, the Czech Republic and a pair of Canadian regional teams made up of top Junior A players at the World Junior A Challenge. The tournament kicks off Nov. 7 and ends on Nov. 13.

Coming up after the jump, a brief look at the World Junior A Challenge format, some news and notes, and a detailed look at each of Team USA’s draft-eligible players.

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Posted in American Prospects, NHL Draft, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey | Comments Off on American Prospect Update: World Junior A Challenge Preview

U.S. World Junior Spotlight: Jon Merrill

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Chris Peters

Jon Merrill - Photo: USA Hockey

Jon Merrill – Defenseman
Hometown: Brighton, Mich.     Birthdate: February 3, 1992
Height/Weight: 6’3″ / 206
Current Team: University of Michigan (CCHA)
NHL Rights: New Jersey Devils (2010, 2nd Rd., 38th Overall)
National Team Experience: National Team Development Program (2008-2010), U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team (gold, 2009; gold, 2010); U.S. National Junior Team (bronze, 2010)

This player spotlight should be about how well Jon Merrill is playing and how much he could bring to the U.S. World Junior Team. Unfortunately, it’s about whether Merrill will even be part of the team at all and it has nothing to do with his performance on the ice.

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Posted in American Prospects, NCAA, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | Comments Off on U.S. World Junior Spotlight: Jon Merrill

American Prospect Update: October Rankings Reviewed, Links

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Chris Peters

As all of the players continue to compete for a higher draft standing, we now know where the actual NHL Entry Draft will be held. Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review confirmed via sources what has been rumored for months. The Penguins have been awarded the rights to host the 2012 draft, and will do so at the Consol Energy Center June 22-23. The announcement will come from the NHL Thursday.

So now each prospect knows his road leads to Pittsburgh at the end of the long season. It should be an exciting lead up.

In this week’s American Prospect Update, we’ll take a look at some of the October Draft rankings from TSN and International Scouting Services and share some links to prospect stories from around the internet. Let’s get to it after the jump…

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams | Comments Off on American Prospect Update: October Rankings Reviewed, Links