2018 U.S. National Junior Team Game Notes 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship | Buffalo, New York
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2018 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM GAME NOTES 2018 INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP | BUFFALO, NEW YORK PRE-TOURNAMENT GAME • USA (0-0-0-0) VS. BELARUS (0-0-0-0) • JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK • NORTHWEST ARENA • DEC. 20, 2017 TODAY'S GAME 2018 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP The U.S. National Junior Team faces Belarus in its first pre- The 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior tournament game ahead of the 2018 International Ice Hockey Championship will take place Dec. 26, 2017 - Jan. 5, 2018,at the Federation World Junior Championship. Puck drop is set for 7 KeyBank Center and HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York. p.m. ET here at Northwest Arena in Jamestown, New York. The This is the sixth World Junior Championship to be played in game will be live streamed on HockeyTV.com with live updates the United States and the second time Buffalo is serving as host avialable on Twitter at @usahockey. (2011). Just like this year, the 2011 event saw the U.S. enter the All-time, the U.S. is 3-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) against Belarus. tournament as the defending gold medalist. In the end, Russia The two teams last met on Dec. 29, 2004, where Team USA fell won gold, Canada earnd silver and the U.S. claimed the bronze to Belarus, 5-3, in preliminary-round play of the 2005 event in medal. Thief River Falls, North Dakota. The U.S. and Canada will make history when the two rivals The United States will enter the 2018 IIHF World Junior battle outdoors on Dec. 29, 2017, in a preliminary round game. Championship as hosts and defending gold medalists while The outdoor game, one of 31 total in the 2018 tournament, will Belarus, which competed in the 2016 IIHF World Junior be staged at New Era Field in Orcahrd Park, New York, home of Championship, returns to the tournament stage after winning the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Never before has an outdoor game been last year's Division I tournament. played at any top-level IIHF world championship. TALKING POINTS TEAM USA SCHEDULE 2018 IIHF WJC: TEAM USA OUTLOOK DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET) Team USA will face Canada, Denmark, Finland and Slovakia in Group A of this year’s preliminary round. Team USA’s games WED., DEC. 20 BELARUS (EXH.) 7 P.M. against Denmark, Finland and Slovakia will be held at the KeyBank Jamestown, N.Y. Northwest Arena Center while its tilt against Canada will take place outdoors at FRI., DEC. 22 SWEDEN (EXH.) 7 P.M. New Era Field, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Quarterfinals will Erie, Pa. Erie Insurance Arena be split between the KeyBank Center and HarborCenter while WED., DEC. 26 DENMARK 8 P.M. the semifinal and medal games will be played at the KeyBank Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center Center. Visit teamusa.usahockey.com/worldjuniors2018 for THURS., DEC. 28 SLOVAKIA 8 P.M. more details surrounding the U.S. National Junior Team. Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center U.S. PRELIMINARY ROSTER NAMED DEC. 5 FRI, DEC. 29 CANADA 3 P.M. The preliminary roster for the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team Orchard Park, N.Y. New Era Field was announced on Dec. 5, exclusively on NHL Network’s “NHL SUN., DEC. 31 FINLAND 4 P.M. Now.” The players at camp include seven returnees from last Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center year’s gold-medal winning 2017 U.S. National Junior Team and TUES., JAN. 2 QUARTERFINALS TBD 10 other players who have previously earned IIHF medals with Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center Team USA. The original preliminary roster can be found online at THURS., JAN. 4 SEMIFINALS TBD teamusa.usahockey.com/worldjuniors2018. Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center FRI., JAN. 5 BRONZE MEDAL GAME 4 P.M. TEAM USA'S JOURNEY THUS FAR Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center The journey to this year's IIHF World Junior Championship started in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 14. FRI., JAN. 5 GOLD MEDAL GAME 8 P.M. Upon arrival, Team USA players and staff walked to Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center Nationwide Arena to take in the Metropolitan Division tilt between the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders. Zach Exhibition games: HockeyTV.com U.S. tournament games: NHL Network Werenski (Grosse Pointe, Mich.), who captained the 2016 U.S. PREVIOUS WORLD JUNIORS HELD IN U.S. National Junior Team to a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship in Helsinki, Finland, opened the scoring for YEAR LOCATION U.S. FINISH the Blue Jackets in an eventual 6-4 home victory. 2011 Buffalo, N.Y. Bronze The Columbus camp officially kicked off on Dec. 15 with 2005 Grand Forks, N.D./Thief River Falls, Minn. Fourth practice at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. The team held daily 1996 Boston, Mass. Fifth skates at OhioHealth Ice Haus, including an evening intrasquad 1989 Anchorage, Alaska Fifth scrimmage, before taking its final two days of practices into 1982 Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minn. Sixth Nationwide Arena. On its final day in Columbus, the U.S. National Junior Team took its first step towards identifying its MEDIA INFORMATION final 23-player roster with the release of defensemanCole Hults (Stoughton, Wis./Penn State University). The team followed its All Team USA players or staff will be available for interviews in designated final Columbus practice by packing its belongings, filling a truck mixed-zone areas following games and non-game day practices. Media availability on day-of-game skates will be limited. Members of the media and bus, and hitting the road for Jamestown, New York. are not allowed in the U.S. dressing room at any time. JAMESTOWN'S PREVIOUS WORLD JUNIORS HISTORY MEDIA CONTACT: JON GOMEZ Jamestown, New York, is hosting pre-tournament games ahead 973.723.5744 [email protected] All media availability with U.S. team members must be arranged through of an IIHF World Junior Championship for the second time. In Jon Gomez, who will be on-site with Team USA throughout the 2018 IIHF 2011, when the tournament was also held in Buffalo, Jamestown World Junior Championship. hosted three games: Norway vs. Slovakia, Russia vs. Slovakia and U.S. vs. Norway. In its final pre-tournament tilt, the U.S. ONLINE MEDIA GUIDE TEAMUSA.USAHOCKEY.COM/WORLDJUNIORS2018 edged Norway, 6-1, before going on to claim a bronze medal. Team USA information, including bios, team schedule, news and team history are available at the official website of the U.S. National Junior Team. 2018 U.S. OLYMPIC MEN'S, WOMEN'S, PARALYMPIC SLED ROSTERS PHOTO REQUESTS SYDNEY BLACKMAN On Dec. 19, USA Hockey announced it will reveal the rosters for 623.826.0432 [email protected] the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Teams Media interested in photos of Team USA throughout the tournament are encouraged to visit ImagesOnIce.com for tournament photos. Any other and 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team on Jan. 1, 2018, photography requests surrounding the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team as part of the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field players and staff should be directed to Sydney Blackman. in New York City. The roster reveal will take place live in-stadium and on NBC during the second intermission of the 1 p.m. ET tilt SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACT: ANDREW KETTERER between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. For more 309.678.0357 [email protected] USA Hockey’s social media accounts will provide daily posts of Team Olympic and Paralympic details, see page 11. USA. For specific social media inquiries, contact Andrew Ketterer. @USAHOCKEY • TEAMUSA.USAHOCKEY.COM/WORLDJUNIORS2018 • USAHOCKEY.COM • #USAWJC 1 2018 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM GAME NOTES PRE-TOURNAMENT GAME VS. BELARUS • DECEMBER 20, 2017 2018 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN KEY TEAM USA WJC STATISTICS EXHIBITION GAMES ALL-TIME MEDALS AT WORLD JUNIORS BELARUS Year Medal Coach Result Opp. Series vs. Belarus: 3-0-0-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) 2017 Gold Bob Motzko SOW, 5-4 CAN Of Note: Belarus went 4-0-0-1-0 to win last year’s Division I tournament. 2016 Bronze Ron Wilson W, 8-3 SWE DEC. 29, 2004: USA 3, BLR 5: The U.S. fell to Belarus, 5-3, in preliminary 2013 Gold Phil Housley W, 3-1 SWE round of the 2005 event in Thief River Falls, North Dakota. Americans Phil 2011 Bronze Keith Allain W, 4-2 SWE Kessel (Madison, Wis.) Drew Stafford (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Mike Brown 2010 Gold Dean Blaise OTW, 6-5 CAN (Northbrook, Ill.) each scored for the U.S. 2007 Bronze Ron Rolston W, 2-1 SWE SWEDEN 2004 Gold Mike Eaves W, 4-3 CAN Series vs. Sweden: 14-1-0-15-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) 1997 Silver Jeff Jackson L, 0-2 CAN Of Note: The U.S. is 5-0 against Sweden in WJC medal games. 1992 Bronze Walt Kyle W, 3-2 CZE JAN. 5, 2016: USA 8, SWE 3: The U.S. avenged a 1-0 preliminary round setback 1986 Bronze Dave Peterson W, 5-1 SWE to defeat Sweden in the bronze medal game. Anders Bjork (Mequon, Wis.), Ryan Donato (Scituate, Mass.) and Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.) each scored twice and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 35 shots in the win. PREVIOUS 10 WORLD JUNIORS PRELIMINARY ROUND GAMES Year Finish Coach Record* DENMARK 2017 Gold Bob Motzko 5-2-0-0 Series vs. Denmark: 2-0-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) 2016 Bronze Ron Wilson 5-0-0-2 Of Note: Denmark will host the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championship in April.