NTDP players visit C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital

By @MichaelCaples –

They’re going to the Dark Side this year, but, on Thursday, some NTDP players did something that would be Luke and Leia approved.

Two days before their Star Wars Night game, members of the NTDP Under-17 Team stopped by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to spend time with some of the patients and their families at the Ann Arbor-based facility – and to show off their Darth Vader jerseys.

Every season, Team USA sports Star Wars-themed jerseys for the popular event, and they auction said jerseys to raise money for C.S. Mott; a hospital very close in proximity to the NTDP’s first home in Ann Arbor.

The jersey auctions have raised more than $40,000 over the past six seasons.

Eleven NTDP players were in attendance Thursday, along with athletes of other sports from the University of Michigan. They all visited a floor of C.S. Mott that takes care of kids battling heart problems.

Here are a few photos from the event, shared by the NTDP. For more info on Saturday’s Star Wars Night game, click here.