Mueller named to team USA [Archive]

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12-05-2005, 01:17 PM

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Dec. 5, 2005

2006 U.S. National Junior Team Roster Named; Team To Compete At 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship Dec. 26-Jan. 5

>>>TEAM USA ROSTER

2006 IIHF World Junior Championship

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Hockey today announced the 22 players named to the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team. The squad will compete at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna, British Columbia, Dec. 26, 2005 - Jan. 5, 2006.

The roster is comprised of the best American players under the age of 20.

Among the 13 forwards selected are Madison, Wis., natives and NCAA freshmen stars Phil Kessel and Jack Skille. Kessel, listed number one on the Central Scouting Bureau 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft Preliminary Rankings, leads the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers with 21 points (8-13) in 16 games. Skille was selected seventh in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and has notched nine points (5-4) in 16 games with the NCAA No. 1-ranked University of Wisconsin.

Standouts Bobby Ryan (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and Robbie Schremp (Fulton, N.Y.) are also part of the U.S. lineup up front. Ryan, who was selected second in the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, ranks third in the Ontario Hockey League with 62 points and leads the league with 43 assists through 27 games with Owen Sound this season. Schremp is averaging over three points a game with London this season and ranks second in the OHL with 67 points (26-41) in 22 games.

Among those named to the defensive corps are Erik Johnson (Bloomington, Minn.), Brian Lee (Moorhead, Minn.), Jack Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Mark Mitera (Livonia, Mich.).

Erik Johnson currently plays for the U.S. National Under-18 Team and is considered a possible top-five selection for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Lee leads all defensemen at the University of North Dakota with nine points (1-8) in 16 games and was drafted ninth overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Jack Johnson, who currently plays for the University of Michigan, was selected third in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes and is second on the Wolverines with 20 points (4-16) through 15 games. Mitera, who is also playing at Michigan, is ranked third among all NCAA players eligible for the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by Central Scouting and has recorded three assists in 15 games this season.

Minding the nets for Team USA will be Cory Schneider (Marblehead, Mass.) and Jeff Frazee (Edina, Minn.). Schneider, who was a member of the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team, has backstopped Boston College to a 7-4-1 record with a 2.58 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. Frazee has posted a 3-1-2 record in seven games as a freshman with Minnesota.

NOTES: Walt Kyle (Marquette, Mich.), head men’s ice hockey coach at Northern Michigan University, will serve as head coach of the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team. John Hynes (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Mike Gibbons (Eagan, Minn.) will serve as assistant coaches ... The 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship will feature athletes under the age of 20 on international teams including the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland ... The United States will play two exhibition games in British Columbia prior to the World Junior Championship, including Dec. 21 against Sweden and Dec. 22 against Norway. Both games are slated to start at 10 p.m. EST ... Team USA will gather in Seattle, Wash., on Dec. 18 before traveling to Victoria, British Columbia, on Dec. 19 ... Six members of the U.S. National Junior Team are returning from last year’s team, including Schneider, Lee, Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.), Schremp, Kessel, and Chris Bourque (Boston, Mass.) ... The University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota and the University of North Dakota lead all NCAA teams with three players each on the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team ... Twelve members of the 2006 U.S. National Junior Team spent time with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, including Kessel, Peter Mueller (Bloomington, Minn.), Skille, Nathan Gerbe (Oxford, Mich.), Geoff Paukovich (Englewood, Colo.), Porter, Tom Fritsche (Parma, Ohio), Nathan Davis (Rocky River, Ohio), Mark Mitera (Livonia, Mich.), Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson and Frazee ... Referee Brian Thul (Andover, Minn.) and linesman Steve Glines (Boise, Idaho) have been selected by the IIHF to officiate the 2006 World Junior Championship.

2006 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule

DATE OPPONENT VENUE TIME (PST/EST)
Dec. 21 Sweden (exhb.) Bear Mountain Arena 7 p.m./10 p.m.
Dec. 23 Norway (exhb.) Recreation Complex 7 p.m./10 p.m.
Dec. 26 Norway Pacific Coliseum 8 p.m./11 p.m.
Dec. 28 Finland Pacific Coliseum 8 p.m./11 p.m.
Dec. 30 Switzerland Pacific Coliseum 4 p.m./7 p.m.
Dec. 31 Canada Pacific Coliseum 4 p.m./7 p.m.
Jan. 2 Quarterfinals GM Place TBD
Jan. 3 Semifinals GM Place TBD
Jan. 5 Medal Games GM Place TBD

Venue Locations: Bear Mountain Arena (Victoria, British Columbia); Recreation Complex (Powell River, British Columbia); Pacific Coliseum and GM Place (Vancouver, British Columbia)