USA Hockey Announces World Junior Evaluation Camp Invites

Trying to build off last year's dramatic World Junior Championships gold medal, USA Hockey has started the process of selecting the 2011 U.S. team. That group will compete in the IIHF World Junior Championships, which begin Dec. 26 in Buffalo.

Nine players can bring their shiny gold medals to the camp, as they are invited back from last year's team. The other 31 players on the 40-player list are a mix of players who have been passed over before (five guys were invited to the 2009 evaluation camp) and new faces (26).

The roster of invites is below:

Pos. Name Ht Wt Birthdate S/C Hometown 2009-10 Team
G Jack Campbell^* 6-2 185 1/9/92 L Port Huron, Mich. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
G Zane Gothberg 6-1 177 8/20/92 L Grand Forks, N.D. Thief River Falls (Minn.) H.S.
G Michael Houser 6-1 180 9/13/92 L Wexford, Pa. London Knights (OHL)
G Andy Iles 5-8 179 1/30/92 L Ithaca, N.Y. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D Mark Alt 6-4 205 10/18/91 R St. Paul, Minn. Cretin-Derham Hall (Minn.)
D Brandon Archibald 6-3 200 3/31/92 R Port Huron, Mich. Sault St. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
D Adam Clendening 5-11 190 10/26/92 R Niagara Falls, N.Y. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D Brian Dumoulin 6-4 203 9/6/91 L Biddeford, Maine Boston College (HEA)
D Justin Faulk* 5-11 195 3/20/92 R South St. Paul, Minn. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D Derek Forbort 6-4 195 3/4/92 L Duluth, Minn. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D Cam Fowler^*& 6-2 190 12/6/91 L Farmington Hills, Mich. Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
D Stephen Johns 6-3 215 4/18/92 R Wampum, Pa. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D Nick Leddy 5-11 180 3/20/91 L Eden Prairie, Minn. Univ. of Minnesota (WCHA)
D Jon Merrill* 6-3 200 2/3/92 L Brighton, Mich. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D John Ramage^ 6-0 195 2/7/91 R St. Louis, Mo. Univ. of Wisconsin (WCHA)
D Philip Samuelsson* 6-3 198 7/26/91 L Scottsdale, Ariz. Boston College (HEA)
D Jarred Tinordi 6-5 202 2/20/92 L Millersville, Md. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
D Patrick Wey* 6-2 200 3/21/91 R Pittsburgh, Pa. Boston College (HEA)
F Beau Bennett 6-1 180 11/27/91 R Gardena, Calif. Penticton Vees (BCHL)
F Nick Bjugstad 6-4 188 7/17/92 R Blaine, Minn. Blaine (Minn.) H.S.
F Ryan Bourque^*& 5-9 166 1/3/91 L Boxford, Mass. Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
F Connor Brickley 6-2 193 2/25/92 L Everett, Mass. Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
F Chris Brown 6-2 194 2/3/91 R Flower Mound, Texas Univ. of Michigan (CCHA)
F Zach Budish 6-3 220 5/9/91 R Edina, Minn. Univ. of Minnesota (WCHA)
F Charlie Coyle 6-2 207 3/2/92 R East Weymouth, Mass. South Shore Kings (EJHL)
F Jerry D'Amigo^* 5-11 190 2/19/91 L Binghamton, N.Y. Rensselaer (ECACHL)
F Emerson Etem 6-0 198 6/16/92 R Long Beach, Calif. Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
F Kevin Hayes 6-2 201 5/8/92 L Boston, Mass. Noble & Greenough School (Mass.)
F Chris Kreider^* 6-2 205 4/30/91 L Boxford, Mass. Boston College (HEA)
F Phil Lane 6-2 194 5/29/92 R Rochester, N.Y. Brampton Battalion (OHL)
F Kevin Lynch 6-1 198 4/23/91 R Grosse Pointe, Mich. Univ. of Michigan (CCHA)
F Tyler Maxwell 5-9 179 4/13/91 L Manhattan Beach, Calif. Everett Silvertips (WHL)
F Jeremy Morin^*& 6-1 196 4/16/91 R Auburn, N.Y. Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
F Brock Nelson 6-3 205 10/15/91 L Minneapolis, Minn. Warroad (Minn.) H.S.
F Matt Nieto 5-11 182 11/5/92 L Long Beach, Calif. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
F Kyle Palmieri^*& 5-11 195 2/1/91 R Montvale, N.J. Univ. of Notre Dame (CCHA)
F Tyler Pitlick 6-1 190 11/1/91 R Centerville, Minn. Minnesota State Univ. (WCHA)
F Bryan Rust 5-11 191 5/11/92 R Bloomfield Hills, Mich. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
F Brandon Saad 6-1 196 10/27/92 L Gibsonia, Pa. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
F Drew Shore* 6-2 190 1/29/91 R Denver, Colo. Univ. of Denver (WCHA)
F Nick Shore 6-0 186 9/26/92 R Denver, Colo. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)
F Austin Watson 6-3 187 1/13/92 R Ann Arbor, Mich. Peterborough Petes (OHL)
F Steve Whitney 5-7 168 2/18/91 R Reading, Mass. Boston College (HEA)
F Jason Zucker^* 5-10 168 1/16/92 L Las Vegas, Nev. U.S. Nat'l U18 Team (USHL)

This is just the start of this long road. The final roster isn't due until mid-December, and will be selected after the final candidates meet in Buffalo for a training camp in advance of the tournament.

Faulk is an incoming UMD freshman. He would have to miss the opening of Amsoil Arena Dec. 30 -- as well as a two-game series at Clarkson Jan. 3-4 -- if he makes the team. Forbort will be a freshman this fall at North Dakota.

All in all, 32 of the 40 players are currently playing for NCAA programs, or they are committed to play for one. That number does not count Minnesota State freshman Tyler Pitlick, who is leaving school to play for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL next season.