USA Hockey Juniors to Showcase
In Lake Placid This Summer
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – USA Hockey will serve as host to teams from Canada, Sweden and Finland at its national junior evaluation camp this summer. The camp will be held Aug. 3-10 at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., and feature a number of players who will play on their country’s team for the 2014 World Junior Championship.
USA Hockey Junior Evaluation Camp Games:
Aug. 4: USA White vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. ET
Aug. 4: USA Blue vs. Finland, 4 p.m. ET
Aug. 5: USA Blue vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. ET
Aug. 5: USA White vs. Finland, 4 p.m. ET
Aug. 7: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. ET
Aug. 7: USA vs. Sweden, 4:15 p.m. ET
Aug. 8: USA vs. Finland, 1 p.m. ET
Aug. 8: Canada vs. Sweden, 4:15 p.m. ET
Aug. 10: USA vs. Canada, 1 p.m. ET
Aug. 10: Finland vs. Sweden, 4:15 p.m. ET
USA Hockey announced that approximately 45 players will be invited to the camp as the roster takes shape for the next tournament, which will be held Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2014, in Malmo, Sweden. The United States beat Sweden 3-1 in the gold-medal game of the 2013 WJC, held in Ufa, Russia, to win the tournament for the third time. The Americans have medaled in three of the last four IIHF World Junior Championships.
University of Minnesota coach Don Lucia will coach the U.S. team, with St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko, Boston College associate coach Greg Brown and University of Denver assistant coach David Lassonde serving as assistants. A roster of players will be announced in June.
Hockey Canada in its announcement said a coach and roster of players would be announced at a later date. Sweden and Finland will begin practicing in Lake Placid starting Aug. 3, and will play games against a U.S. split squad Aug. 4-5. Traditionally, the United States trims its original roster after the split-squad games.
All games will be played in the historic Herb Brooks Arena, site of the 1980 Olympic “Miracle on Ice” game. Matt Grzelcyk of Charlestown, Mass. has been invited. USA Hockey also announced that goaltenders Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif./U.S. National Under-18 Team), Jon Gillies (South Portland, Maine/Providence College), Collin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn./Ohio State Univ.) and Anthony Stolarz (Edison, N.J./London Knights) will be the invited netminders.
By Raymond Rolak, Sports and Entertainment Editor
