NTDP announces U.S. National Under-18 Team Roster

By Michael Caples – 

The National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor announced their Under-18 team roster today, and five of the players call Michigan home.

Defenseman Trevor Hamilton (Grosse Pointe Farms) and forwards Evan Allen (Sterling Heights), Dawson Cook (Cadillac), Michael McCarron (Macomb), and Tyler Motte (St. Clair) will all move from the Under-17 team up to the Under-18 team for the 2012-13 season.

University of Michigan commit J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) will be another name to keep an eye on during the upcoming season. The Wolverines have three committed players on the roster – Compher, Allen, and Motte.

The three goalies on the U18 roster – Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif.), Curtis Frye (Northwood, N.H.) and Hunter Miska (North Branch, Minn.) do not have college commitments listed on the official roster that USA Hockey released this morning.

The NTDP U18 team will compete in the United States Hockey League, and also play against NCAA Division I and III schools. They will also participate in three international competitions.

The team opens the season on Sept. 15, in a game against the Youngstown Phantoms at the St. Mary’s Athletic Complex in Orchard Lake.

Notable match-ups include a showdown at Yost with the Wolverines on Jan. 4, and a visit to Munn to play the Spartans on Jan. 22. The NTDP will play their USHL neighbors, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, four times over the season.

In a seven-day span in October, the U18 roster takes on NCAA teams Wisconsin, Notre Dame, North Dakota, and Bemidji State.  They also play Minnesota, Penn State, and Minnesota-Duluth.