Three CHL Players Named to U.S Under-18 Select Team
For Immediate Release
Thursday July 14, 2011
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that three CHL players will compete for Team USA at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament August 8-13, 2010, in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.
Forwards Alex Galchenyuk of the Sarnia Sting and Cody Payne of the Oshawa Generals will be joined by defenceman Josh Hanson of the Portland Winterhawks.
A total of 22 players were named to the team following participation at USA Hockey’s Boys’ Select 17 Player Development Camp held July 7-13 at the Sports Centre at MCC in Rochester, New York.
Galchenyuk finished second in OHL rookie scoring with 83 points in 68 games after being selected first overall in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. Payne, a native of Weston, Florida, recorded 13 points in 50 games for the Generals while Hanson, an Eagle River, Alaska, native produced three points in 43 games on the blueline for the Winterhawks.
Team USA will compete in Group B with games against Finland, Russia, and Slovakia. Group A consists of Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Switzerland.
Team USA has finished in the top three of the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament 10 times since the tournament’s inception in 1991, and won the gold medal at the tournament in 2003, and finished as silver medalists seven times, most recently in last year’s event with a 1-0 loss to Canada in the gold medal final.
The tournament honors the late Ivan Hlinka, a former Czechoslovakian national team player and coach.
