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***_Blitz_*** · 03-12-2020, 07:18 PM

Team USA World Junior Cup Roster Selection Announcement

Good afternoon to the SHL and SMJHL Press and Players.

Team USA has finalized its competition roster for the IIHF WJC tournament this season. After difficulties last season, we look for redemption and placement in the medal rounds. Gold is always the goal, but time will tell who takes it. We feel that we have a very good shot this season.

With so many talented players, decisions had to be made carefully. If you're a part of the organization and your name is not on this list, it's not a reflection on you. It's a compliment to the people on it.

Team Leadership

I maintain my view from last season that holding leadership positions for Team USA is a very high honor. For the unacquainted, we choose our leaders democratically. Players with two or more seasons in the SMJHL are considered for the Captaincy, and players with at least one season are considered for the Assistant Captaincy. It is the view of Team USA that we be able to choose leaders that we trust, at least once, as the Founding Fathers intended.

Captain - Joseph Weston

Assistant Captain - Stan Hanson

Assistant Captain - JMac NCheese

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Centers

C. T. Carragher - @RainDelay - Outlaws

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Making his International debut for Team USA, Atlanta-native Carragher has out-paced past selections in his development and looks to be a fine addition to our roster. His sophomore season with Anaheim saw him put up 28 points in a tremendous regular season, and a team-leading 19 points in the victorious post-season campaign for the Outlaws.

Danny Marston - @Capt_Blitzkrieg - Scarecrows

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Returning as General Manager and Center, Marston looks for redemption after last season's early exit. Even though the league is known for its unpredictability, Marston shouldered a lot of the failure to make the medal round on himself last season. Despite that, he's been given another chance in the Manager's Office, so he'll have to make it count.

Alexander Roach - @Faelax - Timber

Hailing from the newly-rebranded Maine Timber, Roach might seem like an unexpected pick. However, he's developed quite quickly as a late-signing steal, and is a promising pass-first Center for the Timber. He's the first name on our roster going through the SHL Entry Draft process with the S53 class. Look for him to be a surprise star for Team USA.

Kevin Robinson - @leftwing42 - Outlaws

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This is one last ride for the rock of our last campaign. He had been planning to go on a spiritual retreat to Tibet after partying so hard in the off-season with Anaheim, but when the call came down to play one more time, how could he resist? Robinson looks to be a leader in a team full of talent, even as his call-up status with Toronto is confirmed.

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Defensemen

Glen Anders - @twenty - Raptors

Anders is coming off of a respectable 12-point season as a Raptors rookie, with 3 of those finding the back of the net. He was disappointed, though, in the post-season, as he had just one point with Colorado in their Round 2 appearance against St. Louis. As he prepares for the SHL Draft, Anders looks to continue to improve, albeit at more of a "slow and steady" pace.

Ethan Duncan - @mastersheep - Knights

One of two offensive players on the blue line for Team USA this season, Duncan looks to demonstrate just what "Two-Way" really means in this game. While his regular season left plenty to be desired for Kelowna, he found the back of the net for 3 goals in the Knights' shortened campaign. Moving forward, he'll be a great addition to our team on his current path of development.

Eric Hudson - @EricNCSU -

The second of our offensive players on defense, Hudson is a Two-Way Left Wing for the St. Louis Scarecrows. Realizing that the Forward depth on our roster would be tremendous, Hudson asked to play defense. Looking at game tape and knowing him personally, management agreed and took another look through the rookie forwards to consider other depth that might have transferable skills.

Trevor Johnson - @AeonSandwich - Scarecrows

Johnson is a very quiet locker room presence. When pushed to talk, the native Texan is soft-spoken and thoughtful. In the regular season, he was a slow but steady developer on the ice and a wallflower in the locker room. Perhaps on the back of his Playoff performance and a good WJC showing, he'll have his confidence bolstered.

Michael Lee - @Marlo - Kraken

Lee was a late addition to Team USA last year, coming in very close to the SMJHL Entry Draft and being taken late by Carolina. He's developed into a blue chip defensive prospect, with 7 points and 44 blocked shots. It's safe to say that the Two-Way Defenseman lived up to his preferred descriptor for the Kraken.

Michael Preeb - @Slackbabbath88 - Knights

Michael Preeb got off to a great start for the Knights last season. Mired by injury, however, his development slowed and then stopped. Time will tell if he can recover and turn into the prime defender he appeared to be. In the mean time, we welcome him back to Team USA.

Heat Siecker - @HeatSiecker - Raptors

In his final season of eligibility for Team USA and having watched the performance of Luc-Pierre Lespineau-Lebrunette, Heat Siecker would like to go out with a bang. And a crash. And hopefully not as many penalty minutes as his new role model. After all, what could be more fun for a heat-seeking missile on his last tour?

Andreas Stacks - @AT2131 - Outlaws

Andreas Stacks was a subtle part of Anaheim's Four Star victory. With a relaxed development pace and difficulty finding the net in the regular season, Stacks looks to have a break-out season in Anaheim as a sophomore player. He may not shine as brightly as the other stars on our roster, but he'll be there when we need him.

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Goaltenders

Strom Chamberlain - @Geekusoid - Outlaws

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Strom Chamberlain is a good guy and a brick wall between the pipes. After a rocky rookie season, Chamberlain put up a massive sophomore effort, with 18 Wins and a 0.883 save percentage in the regular season. He was one of the pillars on which Anaheim built their winning campaign, denying Carolina quite notably in their Round 2 sweep.

A Jobin - @"Awesomecakes" - Falcons

S52 Detroit broke all of the tables. How does a team with so many rookies and so few veterans win the Laurifer Trophy? It defies all odds. A Jobin was a massive part of Detroit's logic-defying season, quickly taking control of the crease and turning into a solid net-minder. He's very good at stealing games where his opponent may underestimate him.

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Left Wings

Francois Breton - @treesap - Whalers

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Breton has been a performer for Team USA through an impressive tenure.

Ryan Cvitkovich - @ryan cvit - Armada

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We're proud to welcome Ryan Cvitkovich to Team USA. On the end of an impressive development with Anchorage in his second season, Cvitkovich is a hard-working, offensively-minded forward with a stubborn streak in front of the net. It'll be exciting to see if he'll bring home some bread moving into S53, where he may be tapped to take on more of a leadership roll in Alaska.

Zoltan Topalo - @Rangerjase - Falcons

One of the top earners in a very large class, Topalo had a promising rookie season even as other talent on his team progressed and shone very quickly and brightly. Topalo plays a full two-hundred feet and lends a little bit of legitimacy to the lunacy of the S52 Detroit team's success. Time will tell if he can sustain his talent and effort, but we're very excited to have him.

Joseph Weston - @ACapitalChicago - Kraken

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"C"
Very nearly the Captain last season, Weston has been a leader for Carolina through great success. Over half of our ballots had him wearing a letter, and he was a runaway leader for the "C". As he moves on to Calgary for S53, we're confident in his ability to bolster the spirits of our team as we compete for Gold.

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Right Wings

Stan Hanson - @LairdButler - Armada

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"A"
Last season, Stan Hanson was kind enough to deviate from his norm; he played on the Left Wing for Team USA. After a rough S52 with Anchorage, Hanson has moved back to his favored Right Wing and stepped into a leadership role. Perhaps this is foreshadowing events to come with the Armada?

JMac NCheese - @JMacNCheese - Falcons

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"A"
Coming off of a good second season with Detroit, NCheese looks to make leading Team USA as an Assistant Captain the first step to a stellar third season with the Falcons. So far, so good for the Two-Way Right Wing originally from Florida. We look for him to light lamps and add grit to an already-tough lineup.

SLATT Potts - @Rindiee - Berserkers

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Fun fact: SLATT Potts almost had a Junior nod last season. If not for Bobby Lane returning for one more season, he'd have been a part of the S52 Team USA effort. Fortunately, we're able to pull him up this season, and after his performance with Newfoundland last season, we're excited to see how he'll do with the Stars & Stripes.

James Ronlain - @Rankle -

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After four spectacular seasons with St. Louis, James Ronlain is being called to the Tampa Bay Barracuda for S53. He played a major roll for the Scarecrows' efforts in S51 and S52, and looks to continue that trend for Team USA one last time at the Junior level. Expect to see him at the IIHF level relatively quickly, as this speedy sniper has silky mitts and is a definite contender for SHL Rookie of the Year.

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That concludes our announcement. We look forward to taking the ice for our country and performing to the best of our abilities. Hopefully the next announcement will be thanking the team for winning gold.

[WC: 1846][Ready for Grading][Please split profit between Faelax and myself.]