Team USA has won the gold medal at the last two IIHF World Under-18 Championships.

This year’s team, guided by head coach Ron Rolston, boasts 17 players who competed within USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program during the 2006-07 season, as well as five players who will be making their second-consecutive appearance at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Defenseman Cade Fairchild (Duluth, Minn.) and forwards Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.), James O’Brien (Maplewood, Minn.), James vanRiemsdyk (Middletown, N.J.) and Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn.) all earned gold medals in last year’s event in Angelholm, Sweden. The 2006 U.S. National Under-18 Team went a perfect 6-0-0 in the tournament, including a 3-1 victory over Finland in the gold-medal game.

“We feel our club has a lot of depth and good experience in this tournament, with five players who competed a year ago,” said Rolston. “The World Championship is an extremely demanding tournament and the players from the competing countries are very talented in this age group. USA Hockey has established a tradition of success in this tournament and we are excited to represent our country in Finland.”

The seven-member defensive corps includes five 2006-07 NTDP players, including U.S. National Under-18 Team captain Kevin Shattenkirk (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and alternate captain Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.). Also patrolling the blue line for Team USA will be Tommy Cross (Simsbury, Conn.), who joined the U.S. National Under-18 Team for six games this season, including the Under-18 Four Nations Tournament in Pitea, Sweden, and Ryan McDonagh (Arden Hills, Minn.), who was named Mr. Hockey in the state of Minnesota this past season while playing for Cretin-Derham Hall High School.

The offense will be led by vanRiemsdyk, Wilson, and the University of Minnesota’s O’Brien, who played for the NTDP from 2004-06. Also up front will be Jordan Schroeder (Lakeville, Minn.) and Vinny Saponari (Powder Springs, Ga.), both of whom competed for the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams this season.

Team USA will be backstopped by Thomas McCollum (Sanborn, N.Y.) and Josh Unice (Toledo, Ohio). McCollum, of the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm, was second in the OHL with a 2.39 goals-against average. Unice led the U.S. National Under-18 Team in games played (26), wins (16) and shutouts (3) during the 2006-07 campaign.

After pre-tournament games against Switzerland (April 7) and Finland (April 8), Team USA will open play in the 2007 IIHF World Under-18 Championship against Russia on April 12 at 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

NOTES: The U.S. National Under-18 Team features six players that are currently ranked in the top-25 among North American skaters by the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, including vanRiemsdyk (2nd), Cross (10th), McDonagh (12th), Shattenkirk (13th), O’Brien (20th) and Patrick White (Grand Rapids, Minn.) (25th) … O’Brien, the youngest player in NCAA Division I hockey this season, is the first collegian to participate with Team USA at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship … Schroeder, born September 9, 1990, is the youngest member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team … Team USA won the gold medal at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship in both 2005 and 2006 to mark the first time in U.S. hockey history that a team has earned back-to-back gold medals at an IIHF event.

2007 U.S. National Under-18 Team Schedule
April 12-22 • Tampere & Rauma, Finland

Date Opponent Location Time (EDT)
April 7 Switzerland* Sakyla 9:00 a.m.
April 8 Finland* Rauma 11:00 a.m.
April 12 Russia Rauma 1:30 p.m.
April 13 Germany Rauma 10:00 a.m.
April 15 Canada Rauma 12:30 p.m.
April 17 Latvia Rauma 10:00 a.m.
April 19/20 Playoff-Round TBA TBA
April 22 Bronze-Medal Game Tampere 8:00 a.m.
April 22 Gold-Medal Game Tampere 12:00 p.m.