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Action Continues for Team USA at U18 World Championship

By Becky Olsen, 04/19/16, 8:00AM EDT

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Team USA Opened Play with Three Wins and Goes for Fourth Tuesday

The U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team continues play at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Men’s World Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Team USA won all three of its round-robin games so far and closes out the first round Tuesday against Switzerland. The playoffs begin with the quarterfinals on Thursday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and medal games on Sunday.

The U18s opened with an 8-2 win over Russia on Thursday. Kailer Yamamoto (Spokane, Wash.) and Clayton Keller (Swansea, Ill.) each scored two goals to pace the offense. James Sanchez (Northbrook, Ill.), Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn.), Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn.) and Logan Brown (Raleigh, N.C.) also scored. Goalie Jake Oettinger (Lakeville, Minn.) made 19 saves.

Team USA followed their opening contest victory by posting a 6-1 win over Sweden. Casey Mittlestadt (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Bellows, Ryan Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.), J.D. Greenway (Potsdam, N.Y.), Keeghan Howdeshell (Brighton, Mich.) and Anderson all scored. Goalie Joseph Woll (St. Louis, Mo.) had 34 saves.

Trent Frederic (St. Louis, Mo.) scored a hat trick and Oettinger stopped 22 shots to help lead Team USA to a 12-1 win over Latvia on Sunday. Yamamoto also tallied a pair of goals while Sanchez, Anderson, Zach Walker (Boise, Idaho), Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y.), Nick Pastujov (Bradenton, Fla.), Keller and Bellows had single tallies.

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U18 World Championship Notes

  • Clayton Keller (3-4) and Kailer Yamamoto (4-3) pace the U18s with seven points each. Logan Brown (1-5) and Adam Fox (1-5) are tied for third with six points. Joey Anderson (3-2), Kieffer Bellows (3-2) and Trent Frederic (3-2) each have five points.
  • Goalies Jake Oettinger and Joseph Woll are splitting time between the pipes. Oettinger is 2-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. Woll is 1-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .971 save percentage.
  • Adam Fox is the National Team Development Program single-season points leader for a defenseman with 56 and counting. He broke the mark previously held by Freddy Meyer (Sanbornville, N.H./1997-2000), who tallied 51 points in 1998-99.
  • Kieffer Bellows has 48 goals this season, tying him for fifth on the NTDP single-season goals chart with Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y./2007-09), who had 48 in 2007-08. Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz./2013-15) is the single-season leader with 55.
  • With 100 points (36-64), Clayton Keller is third on the single-season points chart. Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./2004-06) is second with 102 points, set in 2005-06, while Matthews is first with 117 points, set last year. In addition, Keller’s 64 assists ties him with Jeremy Bracco (Freeport, N.Y./2013-15) for first on the single-season chart.

Notebook

  • Sixteen National Team Development Program players are included in the final NHL Central Scouting draft rankings. Included in the list were two top-10 forwards in Clayton Keller (9) and Kieffer Bellows (10).
  • David Quinn, who spent two seasons (2002-04) as NTDP coach, has been named an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
  • Nine former NTDP players have been named to the 2016 U.S. Men’s National Team: goalie Thatcher Demko (San Diego, Calif./2012-13); forwards J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill/2011-13), Nick Foligno (Hummelstown, Pa./2003-04), Auston Matthews and Tyler Motte (St. Clair, Mich./2011-13), and defensemen Noah Hanifin (Norwood, Mass./2013-14), Jake McCabe (Eau Claire, Wis./2009-11), Connor Murphy (Dublin, Ohio/2009-11) and David Warsofsky (North Marshfield, Mass./2007-08).
  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s scoring champion. Kane finished with a career-high 46 goals and recorded 106 points to become the first U.S.-born player to win the award.
  • Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich./2012-14) scored his first career playoff goal on April 15.
  • Boston College forward Alex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y./2012-14) signed with the Minnesota Wild. The team picked him in the first round (18th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
  • Providence Bruins forward Frank Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass./2010-12) was named the co-winner of the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the American Hockey League’s outstanding rookie for the 2015-16 season. Vatrano led the AHL in goals, tallying 34 in 34 games.
    In addition, Vatrano was selected to the All-AHL First Team while Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Robbie Russo (Westmont, Ill./2009-11) earned All-AHL Second Team accolades.
  • Alaska Aces defenseman William Wrenn (Anchorage, Alaska/2007-09) was named to the All-ECHL Second Team. Wrenn ranked second among ECHL defensemen with 37 assists and is tied for third with 41 points.

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