U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team announced

USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, which celebrates its 15th season on ice in 2011-12, announced this week the roster for its U.S. National Under-18 Team.

The squad, comprised of some of the top American-born players in the 1994 birth year, will compete against teams from the United States Hockey League and NCAA Division I and III schools, in addition to participating in three international competitions.

Highlighting the 23-player roster are forward Nicolas Kerdiles (Irvine, Calif.) and defensemen Seth Jones (Plano, Texas) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich.), all who were a part of the U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team that captured the gold medal at the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship held in Crimmitschau and Dresden, Germany.

Twenty-two players on the roster are returning for their second year with the NTDP, including defensemen Connor Carrick (Orland Park, Ill.), Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.), Jones, Patrick Sieloff (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Brady Skjei (Lakeville, Minn.), Gavin Stoick (Portland, Ore.) and Trouba, forwards Andrew Copp (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Cameron Darcy (South Boston, Mass.), Thomas DiPauli (Woodridge, Ill.), Ryan Hartman (West Dundee, Ill.), Kerdiles, Miles Koules (Los Angeles, Calif.), Matthew Lane (Rochester, N.Y.), Stefan Matteau (Chicago, Ill.), Nikolas Olsson (Escondido, Calif.), Kyle Osterberg (Lakeville, Minn.), Quentin Shore (Denver, Colo.), Brendan Silk (Wakefield, Mass.) and Frankie Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and goaltenders Colin Olson (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Jared Rutledge (Chicago, Ill.).

Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich.) joins the squad after spending last season with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. Barber also helped the NTDP's U.S. National Under-17 Team capture the 2011 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament title in Piestany, Slovakia, in February.

Danton Cole will guide the U.S. National Under-18 team in 2011-12, after serving behind the bench for the Under-17 team last season. Matt Greason will enter his second season as an assistant to Cole, while Tyler Eaves will serve as intern coach for the second straight season.

To view the complete roster, click here.