PLAYER ADDITION
Josh Groll (San Diego, Calif.) will join the U.S. National Under-18 Team for the 2019 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament.
Groll is a first-year member of the Chicago Steel (USHL) and owns six goals and 11 points across 35 games. The 5-foot-10, 174-pound forward is committed to the University of Michigan.
CENTRAL SCOUTING RANKINGS
Twenty players currently on the U.S. National Under-18 Team roster and two former NTDP players were named to the National Hockey League Central Scouting Bureau’s Midterm Rankings for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Players listed as possible first-round selections include forwards Jack Hughes (Orlando, Fla.) at No. 1, Alex Turcotte (Island Lake, Ill.) at No. 5, Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) at No. 6, Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) at No. 7, defenseman Cam York (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) at No. 12, forward Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.) at No. 15 and defenseman Alex Vlasic (Wilmette, Ill.) at No. 25.
In addition, goaltender Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) is rated as the top-ranked North American prospect among eligible goaltenders and Cameron Rowe (Wilmette, Ill.) is rated fourth.
Skaters rated in the second round include defensemen Henry Thrun (Southborough, Mass.) at No. 32, Drew Helleson (Farmington, Minn.) at No. 33, Marshall Warren (Laurel Hollow, N.Y.) at No. 39 and Case McCarthy (Clarence Center, N.Y.) at No. 41. Also rated as second-round selections are forwards Judd Caulfield (Grand Forks, N.D.) at No. 50 and John Beecher (Elmira, N.Y.) at No. 53.
Third-round selections include Owen Lindmark (Naperville, Ill.) at No. 65 and defenseman Domenick Fensore (Thornwood, N.Y.) at No. 89.
Forwards Patrick Moynihan (Millis, Mass.) and Michael Gildon (Plano, Texas) are rated at 102 and 118, respectively, as fourth-round projections. Danny Weight (Lattingtown, N.Y.) is rated in the sixth round, 166th overall.
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
Each team will compete in four matchups at the 2019 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. Points will be awarded for regulation wins (3), overtime wins (2) and overtime losses (1).
U18 FIVE NATIONS HISTORY
The Under-18 Four or Five Nations Tournaments are held twice per season. The NTDP's Under-18 teams have placed first in at least one of the events in every season dating back to the 2007-08 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in Most, Czech Republic.
Team USA claimed its most recent title at the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in November in KravaĆe, Czech Republic.
In total, U.S. National Under-18 teams have won the Four or Five Nations Tournaments 22 times since the start of the 1999-00 season.
COACHING STAFF AT U18 FIVE NATIONS TOURNAMENT
John Wroblewski (Neenah, Wis.) will lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the 2019 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. Associate coach Dan Hinote (Elk River, Minn.), intern assistant coach Kevin Lind (Homer Glen, Ill.) and goaltending coach Thomas Speer (Sancsville, Wis.) join Wroblewski behind the bench, while Joseph Bonnett (Canton, Mich.) has been added to the staff as a team leader.
TEAM USA CAPTAIN
Matthew Boldy, Alex Turcotte and Marshall Warren will serve as rotating captains for the duration of the 2019 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament.
LAST YEAR ...
The U.S. National Under-18 Team earned first-place finishes at both Five Nations Tournaments, held in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and Plymouth, Michigan, respectively.
Despite a regulation loss to Sweden and shootout losses to Switzerland and Finland, the U18s claimed a tie for first place after a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in their final game of the tournament in Finland.
Last year's group of U18s went on to capture the Five Nations title for a second time on home ice in February 2018 at USA Hockey Arena. Team USA defeated Sweden (5-1) and Russia (5-4) before it secured a 4-0 victory over Finland to seal the first-place finish. Team captain and current Buffalo Sabres prospect Mattias Samuelsson accepted the trophy for the U18s.