U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM GAME NOTES 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation USA (0-0-0-0) vs. Canada (0-0-0-0) World Junior Championship Group A Play Preliminary Game #1 • Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015 • 8 p.m. Local/1 p.m. ET • Helsinki Ice Hall • Helsinki, Finland TODAY’S GAME FIRST IMPRESSIONS The United States faces defending champion Canada The U.S. National Junior Team has won its first game of the today at Helsinki Ice Hall (capacity: 8,200) to open Group A IIHF World Junior Championship in each of the last eight play at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. Tonight’s tournaments. A year ago, Team USA defeated Finland in a game will be televised in the U.S. on NHL Network. shootout, 2-1, that included a regulation goal by Alex Tuch and a game-winning shootout tally by Chase De Leo. THE SERIES VS. CANADA Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Championship The U.S. has a 6-1-3-29-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L-T) record Openers Since 2006 Tournament against Canada all-time in the IIHF World Junior Champi- onship. Canada has won eight of the previous ten games in Date Opponent Result the series. Six of the last 10 games have been decided by a 12/26/2005 Norway W, 11-2 single goal with three having gone to overtime (two of those 12/26/2006 Germany OTL, 1-2 to a shootout). See series breakdown later in these notes. 12/26/2007 Kazakhstan W, 5-1 12/26/2008 Germany W, 8-2 IN GOAL TODAY 12/26/2009 Slovakia W, 7-3 Alex Nedeljkovic is the likely starter in goal today. Shar- 12/26/2010 Finland OTW, 3-2 ing time in both pre-tournament games, he stopped all 23 12/26/2011 Denmark W, 11-3 shots he faced. Nedeljkovic was a member of the 2015 12/26/2012 Germany W, 8-0 U.S. National Junior Team, but did not play. He helped 12/26/2013 Czech Republic W, 5-1 the 2014 U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team claim a gold 12/26/2014 Finland OTW, 2-1 medal at the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship. LEADERSHIP GROUP PRE-TOURNAMENT RECAP Zach Werenski is the second youngest player ever to cap- The United States, which arrived in Helsinki the afternoon tain a U.S. National Junior Team behind Jack Eichel, who of Dec. 24, began its journey towards the 2016 IIHF World captained the squad last year. Louie Belpedio, Auston Junior Championship with 27 players convening in Boston Matthews and Colin White are the alternate captains. Wer- for a team meeting the night of Dec. 14. The U.S. had a enski was an alternate captain for the 2014 U.S. National camp at Boston University from Dec. 15-18 that culminated Under-17 Team that claimed the World Under-17 Hockey with a 4-0 victory over UMass in a pre-tournament game at Challenge in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Belpedio served as cap- Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Dec. 18. The tain for the 2014 U.S. National Under-18 Team that captured U.S. then moved to Vierumaki, Finland, on Dec. 19, where it the gold medal at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship continued preparation for the tournament through Dec. 24. in Lappeenranta, Finland. Additionally, Matthews and White The time in Vierumaki included a 3-2 victory over Finland in were alternate captains for the gold medal-winning 2015 a pre-tournament game at Iksu Arena in Lahti on Dec. 22. U.S. National Under-18 Team that competed in the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland. TEAM USA SCHEDULE Exhibition Games Dec. 18 W, 4-0 Dec. 22 W, 3-2 UMASS Mullins Center FINLAND Isku Areena 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship Games* Dec. 26 8 P.M. Local/1 P.M. ET Jan. 2 TBA CANADA Helsinki Ice Hall QUARTERFINALS TBA Dec. 28 4 P.M. Local/9 A.M. ET Jan. 4 TBA SWEDEN Helsinki Ice Hall SEMIFINALS Hartwall Arena Dec. 30 8 P.M. Local/1 P.M. ET Jan. 5 4 P.M. Local/9 A.M. ET SWITZERLAND Helsinki Ice Hall BRONZE MEDAL Hartwall Arena Dec. 31 4 P.M. Local/9 A.M. ET Jan. 5 8:30 P.M. Local/3:30 P.M. ET DENMARK Helsinki Ice Hall GOLD MEDAL Hartwall Arena *All games broadcast live on NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 157) worldjuniors.usahockey.com • #USAWJC • 2016 U.S. National Junior Team • @usahockey • @usahockeyscores Team USA Game Notes vs. Canada • Dec. 26, 2015 • Page 2 2016 U.S. NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM No. Name Pos. HT WT Hometown 2015-16 Team GOALTENDERS (2) 31 Alex Nedeljkovic G 6-0 190 Parma, Ohio Niagara IceDogs (OHL) 36 Brandon Halverson G 6-4 179 Traverse City, Mich. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) DEFENSEMEN (7) 4 Chad Krys D 5-11 183 Ridgefield, Conn. U.S. National Under-18 Team (USHL) 5 Brandon Fortunato D 5-10 148 Albertson, N.Y. Boston University (HEA) 8 Louie Belpedio D 5-10 194 Skokie, Ill. Miami University (NCHC) 13 Zach Werenksi D 6-2 214 Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. University of Michigan (Big Ten) 20 Will Borgen D 6-2 195 Moorhead, Minn. St. Cloud State University (NCHC) 25 Charlie McAvoy D 6-0 205 Long Beach, N.Y. Boston University (HEA) 26 Brandon Carlo D 6-5 195 Colorado Springs, Colo. Tri-City Americans (WHL) FORWARDS (13) 7 Matthew Tkachuk F 6-1 188 St. Louis, Mo. London Knights (OHL) 9 Nick Schmaltz F 6-0 172 Verona, Wis. University of North Dakota (AHL) 10 Anders Bjork F 5-11 183 Mequon, Wis. University of Notre Dame (HEA) 11 Christian Dvorak F 6-0 187 Palos, Ill. London Knights (OHL) 12 Alex DeBrincat F 5-7 161 Farmington Hills, Mich. Erie Otters (OHL) 14 Scott Eansor F 5-8 168 Englewood, Colo. Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) 17 Ryan MacInnis F 6-4 185 St. Louis, Mo. Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 18 Colin White F 6-0 183 Hanover, Mass. Boston College (HEA) 19 Ryan Donato F 6-1 181 Scituate, Mass. Harvard University (ECAC Hockey) 21 Ryan Hitchcock F 5-10 170 Manhasset, N.Y. Yale University (ECAC Hockey) 23 Brock Boeser F 6-0 192 Burnsville, Minn. University of North Dakota (NCHC) 28 Sonny Milano F 5-11 185 Massapequa, N.Y. Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) 34 Auston Matthews F 6-0 199 Scottsdale, Ariz. Zurich Lions (National A-Swiss) HEAD COACH RON WILSON Games in Nagano, Japan, and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. An assistant coach for the U.S. entry at the 1990 Goodwill Games, Wilson has been involved with USA Hockey since the mid-1970s, having played for the U.S. Men’s National Team at four IIHF Men’s World Championships (1975, 1981, 1983, 1987). He also captained the 1988 U.S. Men’s Select Team that captured the championship of the prestigious Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. Wilson, who has coached 1,401 NHL games and has 648 wins to his credit, has 18 years of experience as a head coach in Ron Wilson is serving as head coach of the U.S. National Junior the NHL with stops in Toronto (2008-12), San Jose (2002-08), Team for the first time. Washington (1997-2002) and Anaheim (1993-97). In 15 full NHL seasons (minimum 82 games in a season) as a head coach, Wilson, who is eighth all-time in National Hockey League history Wilson’s teams reached the post-season eight times; won four in wins, is the first U.S. National Junior Team head coach to division titles; won one playoff conference title; reached the have previously served as a head coach in the NHL. Stanley Cup Final once; reached at least 90 points seven times; reached at least 100 points four times; reached at least 40 wins The 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior seven times; and reached 50 wins once. Championship marks the eighth time Wilson will lead Team USA in international competition. Wilson has been Team USA’s A seventh-round selection (132nd overall) of the Toronto Maple head coach for some of its brightest moments, including guid- Leafs in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, Wilson recorded 26 goals ing Team USA to the silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter and 67 assists for 93 points in 117 career NHL games as a play- Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the championship of er with Toronto and Minnesota. the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Wilson also directed the U.S. Men’s National Team that captured the bronze medal Prior to his time in the NHL, Wilson played four years of college at the 1996 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Vienna, Austria. hockey at Providence (1973-77). He was an All-America selec- The medal was the first for the United States in an IIHF Men’s tion twice and a four-time All-ECAC selection. As a sophomore, World Championship A-Pool since 1962 (excluding Olympic he was named ECAC Player of the Year when he led the nation years), when the U.S. also earned the bronze. with 87 points (26 goals and 61 assists) in only 26 games. Wilson, a member of the Providence Athletic Hall of Fame, still Wilson also led the U.S. Men’s National Team to fourth-place holds the school records (and NCAA records for defensemen) in finishes at the 2009 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Bern career points (250), assists (172), most points in a single season and Zurich-Kloten, Switzerland, and the 1994 IIHF Men’s World (87) and single-season assists (61).