It will be a busy weekend at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, as both the U.S. National Under-17 and Under-18 Teams will play their first home contests of the year.

Tickets for home games played at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube are $7 for adults and $5 for children, seniors and active military members. Youth hockey players wearing their team jerseys are admitted for just $1 and group rates are available. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling the NTDP at (734) 327-9251.

U18s at home – Fresh off a pair of road wins, the U18s will face the North American Hockey League’s Michigan Warriors on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. EST at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. Moe Mantha, who was on the coaching staff at the NTDP in 2000-03, coaches the Warriors.

“We are working to get back in hockey shape and getting back into the level we need to compete at each night,” said head coach Don Granato, who begins his fourth season with the NTDP. “We will continue to work on things in practice.”

The U18s previously posted victories over Muskegon (5-1 on Sept. 5) and Lincoln (4-1 on Sept. 6) at the United States Hockey League Atlantic Challenge in East Meadow, New York.

Brendan Warren (Carleton, Mich.) scored a pair of goals against Muskegon, while Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo.), Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo.), and Jack Roslovic (Columbus, Ohio) had single tallies. Luke Opilka (St. Louis, Mo.) finished with 23 saves in net.

In the win over Lincoln, Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y.) paced the offense with two goals. Kunin and Colin White (Hanover, Mass.) also scored, while Michael Lackey (Washington, D.C.) kicked out 24 shots.

“It was definitely good to get back into game action,” said Granato. “We always measure competitiveness and work ethic of our team so it was good to start to get a feel of where we are at right now. We want to build on this weekend as we get ready for our USHL opener and our first college game in the next few weeks.”

U17 at home – The U17s will host the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. It will mark the first home game for the 1998-born squad.

“The biggest thing we need to work on is the discipline aspect,” remarked head coach Danton Cole on his team’s second exhibition contest. “In our first exhibition game, we were in good shape and had the lead. We did not have any penalties, then we took some penalties, which led to some 5-on-3 situations that changed the game. We need to learn that we cannot do that in the USHL or in international play if we want to win. It was a good learning and experience and something that we will continue to work on.”

The U17s dropped a 6-3 decision in their opening contest to the NAHL’s Michigan Warriors on Sept. 6. Collin Adams (Brighton, Mich.) scored twice and Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) had the other goal. Joseph Woll (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.) kicked out 11 shots while Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) made 12 saves.

“It was a good test for our team to get out on the ice after a week and half of practice and learning the systems,” said Cole. “It was good to see where we were at, especially playing against an older team. It was definitely a good challenge for us.”

• Eighteen players return for their second year with the NTDP. The roster is highlighted by forward Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Matthews was part of the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championship.

• Other returnees include: defensemen Nicholas Boka (Plymouth, Mich.), Christian Evers (Waukee, Iowa), Casey Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.), Caleb Jones (Frisco, Texas), Joseph Masonius (Spring Lake, N.J.) and Charles McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y.); forwards Jeremy Bracco, Christian Fischer (Wayne, Ill.), Michael Floodstrand (Hinsdale, Ill.), Jordan Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.), Luke Kunin, Jack Roslovic, Matthew Tkachuk, Brendan Warren and Colin White; and goaltenders Michael Lackey and Luke Opilka.

• The U18s have four new faces on this year’s squad: defensemen Grant Gabriele (Brighton, Mich.) and Steven Ruggiero (King Park, N.Y.), and forwards Troy Terry (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Tage Thompson (Oyster Bay, N.Y.).  In August, Gabriele played for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that competed at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, while Ruggiero was a member of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that won the 2013 U17 Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia.

• Don Granato will guide the Under-18 Team in 2014-15, after serving behind the bench for the Under-17 Team last season. Nick Fohr will enter his third season as an assistant to Granato. Kevin Reiter begins his second season as the goaltending coach.

• Former NTDP player J.D. Forrest (Auburn, N.Y.), who was an original member of the NTDP (1997-2000), will serve as intern assistant coach for the U18 squad.

• The U18 schedule comprises of games against the USHL and NCAA Division I and III schools, in addition to participating in three international competitions. Team USA opens its USHL regular-season schedule Sept. 27 versus Youngstown at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. The team's first collegiate game will come at Miami University on Oct. 4. The U18 Team will compete in the 2014 Four Nations Tournament Nov. 5-9 in Sweden, and the 2015 Five Nations Tournament Feb. 4-8 in the Czech Republic. The season culminates with the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men's World Championship, April 16-26 in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland.

• The 22-player roster is composed of some of the top American-born players in the 1998 birth year. The roster includes defensemen Michael Campoli (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y.), James Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.), Matthew Hellickson (Rogers, Minn.), Chad Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.), Ryan Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.), Griffin Luce (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Luke Martin (St. Louis, Mo.); forwards Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.), Trent Frederic (St. Louis, Mo.), Keeghan Howdeshell (Brighton, Mich.), Max Jones (Rochester, Mich.), Clayton Keller, Patrick Khodorenko (Walnut Creek, Calif.), William Lockwood (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Graham McPhee (Bethesda, Md.), Nick Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.), James Sanchez (Northbrook, Ill.), Keenan Suthers (Macomb, Mich.) and Zach Walker (Boise, Idaho); and goaltenders Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll.

• Danton Cole begins his fifth season at the NTDP and will serve as head coach for the Under-17 Team in 2014-15. John Gruden will enter his fourth season as an assistant to Cole, while Tyler Walsh will serve as intern assistant coach for the first time this season.

• The U17s will compete as a member of the USHL and also against teams from the Minnesota Elite League and North American Hockey League, in addition to participating in three international competitions during the course of the season. Team USA will begin its 35-game USHL regular-season schedule Sept. 26, at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The U17s will compete internationally at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8; the 2014 Four Nations Tournament Dec. 16-20 in Ann Arbor, Mich.; and the 2015 Five Nations Tournament Feb. 4-8 in Russia.

• The NTDP includes both the U17 and U18 squads. Teams will count jointly as one team in the USHL standings as a member of the Eastern Conference. Should the NTDP qualify, the U.S. National Under-17 Team will compete in the Clark Cup Playoffs.