skip navigation

11 Minnesotans Chosen for U.S. Men’s Select Teams

By Minnesota Hockey, 07/15/19, 3:30PM CDT

Share

USA Hockey recently announced its rosters for the U.S. Under-18 and Under-17 Men’s Select Teams that will compete in international competitions this August. The teams were chosen based on players’ performance at USA Hockey National Player Development camps and will feature eleven Minnesota natives.

The U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select team will compete Aug. 5-11 at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia. Minnesota natives and high school hockey standouts Blake Biondi (Hermantown, MN), Evan Bushy (Thief River Falls, MN), Wyatt Kaiser (Andover, MN) and Jacob Ratzlaff (Rosemount, MN) were selected for the team, as well as goaltender Louden Hogg who helped lead Edina to a state title in 2018-19.

Biondi, Kaiser and Ratzlaff each participated on the 2018 U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select team in the Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia last summer. Biondi led the team with four goals and was the co-leader with six points in four games, en route to a third place finish.

The 2019 Under-18 Men’s Select team will also be led by a Minnesota native. Pat Ferschweiler (Rochester, MN), who served as head coach for the championship-winning 2017 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team and was an assistant coach on the U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team that finished fourth at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup last year, will serve as head coach for the 2019 U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team.

For more details on the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the full roster for the U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select team, click here.

A total of seven Minnesota natives have been chosen for the 2019 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team that will compete Aug. 13-17 at the Five Nations Tournament in Füssen, Germany. Jackson Blake (Eden Prairie, MN), Tyler Haskins (Rochester, MN), Hobie Hedquist (Heron Lake, MN), Luke Mittelstadt (Eden Prairie, MN), Joe Palodichuk (Cottage Grove, MN), Jack Peart (Grand Rapids, MN) and Bennett Schimek (Mendota Heights, MN) will all have the opportunity to represent the U.S. on the international stage for the first time.

The team will also be joined by Bill McClellan (St. Paul, MN), who will serve as team leader. McClellan is the District 8 Coach-in-Chief and serves as a Development Director in the CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance programs.

For tournament details and the full roster for the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select team, click here.

Most Popular