U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team Roster for World Championship announced

By @MichaelCaples –

Each and every April, USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 Team travels to the IIHF U18 World Championship to take on some of the best players in the world in their age group.

That means that, every April, the roster announcement for the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team is not too much of a surprise.

However, there are always a few changes. Some years, it’s players being added from other junior teams to compete for Team USA. Other times, it’s a few call-ups from the NTDP Under-17 Team to join their elders on the world stage.

This year, it’s all internal shuffling for Team USA. Five members of the Under-17 Team will be joining the U18s in their quest for gold in Russia.

The five U17s that have made such an impression on the NTDP coaching staff to merit a call-up for U18 Worlds are:

Cole Caufield – Forward – Stevens Point, Wisc.

Jack Hughes – Forward – Orlando, Fla.

Spencer Knight – Goaltender – Darien, Conn.

Alex Turcotte – Forward – Island Lake, Ill. (and former Michigan resident)

Cam York – Defenseman – Anaheim Hills, Calif.

Here are all the Michigan names competing in the prestigious tournament:

Drew DeRidder – Goaltender – Fenton – Michigan State commit

Jonathan Gruden – Forward – Rochester – Miami commit

Mattias Samuelsson – Defenseman – Voorhees, N.J. – Western Michigan commit

Bode Wilde – Defenseman – Birmingham – Michigan commit

For a full roster, click here.