2014 U.S. Junior Select Team Announced

All selected players currently compete in the United States Hockey League, the only Tier I junior hockey league in the U.S.

The roster features four players that helped the U.S. win the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, including Kyle Connor (Shelby Township, Mich./Youngstown), Seamus Malone (Naperville, Ill./Dubuque), Andrew Oglevie (Fullerton, Calif./Cedar Rapids) and Neal Pionk (Hermantown, Minn./Sioux City).

In addition, four players were selected in the 2014 National Hockey League Entry Draft — Dakota Joshua (Dearborn, Mich./Sioux Falls/Toronto Maple Leafs/5th Round/128th overall); Shane Gersich (Chaska, Minn./Omaha/Washington Capitals/5th round/134th overall); Anthony Angello (Manlius, N.Y./Omaha/Pittsburgh Penguins/5th round/145th overall) and Hayden Hawkey (Parker, Colo./Omaha/Montreal Canadiens/6th round/177th overall).

Seventeen other players are eligible for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Finally, Brock Boeser (Burnsville, Minn./Waterloo), Connor, Robby Jackson (Alameda, Calif./Chicago) and Tom Novak (River Falls, Wis./Waterloo) participated in the 2014 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, a showcase for players eligible for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Boeser, Jackson and Novak were also teammates in August as members of the U.S Under-18 Select Team that placed third in the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, while Connor and Gersich were members of the 2014 U.S. Men’s Under-18 National Team that won gold at the 2014 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.

Team USA’s first tournament game takes place Monday, Dec. 15, against Switzerland. To see the complete schedule and for full Team USA coverage, click here. All tournament games will be streamed on FASTHockey.com.

Notes: The roster announced today includes 21 players. The final roster will include one additional goaltender, with that announcement coming in the near future … Jay Varady is the head coach for the 2014 U.S. Junior Select Team. He is in his second season as head coach and director of hockey operations for the Sioux City Musketeers … Omaha Lancers’ second-year head coach and general manager, Brian Kaufman, and Madison Capitols’ assistant general manager and associate head coach, Keith Paulsen, are assistant coaches … Phil Faught (Fargo Force) Jason Smits (Muskegon Lumberjacks) are the team’s athletic trainer and equipment manager, while Dr. Alan Ashare will serve as the team physician … Nine USHL clubs are represented on the roster. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Waterloo Black Hawks lead the way with four players each … Ten states are represented on the roster. Minnesota boasts the most representatives with nine, while California, Illinois and Michigan each have two. Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin have one apiece … The World Junior A Challenge is in its ninth year, and the United States is competing for the eighth time. Team USA has won five of the last six tournaments (2008-10, 2012-13) … The 2014 field includes Canada East, Canada West, Denmark, Russia, Switzerland and the United States … The official tournament website is available here.

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