Hockey fans are encouraged to come out to USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth on Saturday, Sept. 9, to see a brand-new team – free of charge.

The U.S. National Under-17 Team, part of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, play for the first time ever against the United States Hockey League’s Muskegon Lumberjacks at 7 p.m. ET. The game is also an opportunity for fans to get acquainted with renovations around USA Hockey Arena.

While the new U17s represent the entire country (Erik Middendorf from Scottsdale, Ariz.; Tyler Weiss, from Raleigh, N.C., etc.), there’s plenty of Michigan representation for fans to cheer on, including Plymouth-native Will MacKinnon, Birmingham’s Bode Wilde, Blade Jenkins of Jackson and Jack DeBoer, who grew up in New Jersey but was born in Plymouth when his father, Peter DeBoer, was general manager and head coach of the Plymouth Whalers from 1996-2001.

Under-17 Team head coach Danton Cole spoke with a smile as he talked about working with an elite group of U.S.-born players skating as a team for the first time in competition on Sept. 9.

“Every new group that comes in, it’s like Christmas morning for all of us,” he said. “There’s a lot of hope, there’s a lot of promise, there’s a lot of unknowns – which leads to the excitement. It’s a great process and having been through it three times, you can’t help but looking forward to doing it four times.”

NTDP coaches work with their teams for two seasons. After this season, Cole, assistant coach Chris Luongo and intern assistant coach Mason Graddock will continue with the current group as they become U18s in 2017-18. The other NTDP coaching staff – head coach John Wroblewski, assistant Nick Fohr and intern assistant coach Greg Moore – will switch to a new U17 group next season.

The two-year tour ensures players receive a consistent teaching voice over their tenure in the NTDP.

Meanwhile, Cole is optimistic about his new group, his fourth group since joining the NTDP in 2010.

 “We want that next group to be the best group to go through,” he said. “You want to do the best job.  You want to avoid as many distractions and pitfalls as you can. You won’t avoid all of them, but hopefully the learning curve is good as we get better.”

Cole said he likes what he sees with the new U17 group, known by their birth year as 2000s.

“This new group has a real completeness to it,” Cole said. “Other groups were real good defensively, but if this this group really works and check off the boxes over the next two years, they can be spoken favorably with our other teams. That’s pretty high praise.

“The core of the 2000 group is deep, but there are always three of four guys that tip the balance - if it’s going to be a really good or great group. I think we have a deep group of forwards, so that bodes well and the goaltending is good. We’re excited about it.

“The thing I really like about this group is, and when we really start doing well, is when a group’s maturity catches up with how well they can execute on the ice. That affects how we play, how we practice, and how we accelerate our progress.”

The U17s practiced for the first time as a group on Aug. 30 and will work out on and off the ice almost every day right up to their Sept. 9 debut. Many of the U17s are also making the adjustment to living away from home with a billet family and starting new high schools.

The lifestyle is a lot to put on a 16-year-old and it’s not for everyone, but Cole has a way of determining how he expects the team to handle these challenges.

“So far, this group has been outstanding,” Cole said.  “We’ve given them tests and homework during the summer. You can almost determine the maturity level of the group by the way they respond and how quick they respond. They’ve been spot on and that’s a good sign coming in.

“We’re going to throw a lot at them. They’re going to have a lot to process. If there is a semblance of maturity, that leads to getting better quicker.”

The NTDP regular season starts Friday, Sept. 23, when the U17s host Muskegon at 7 p.m. ET.  The U18s are in action on Saturday, Sept. 24, when they host Youngstown at 7 p.m. ET.

Single game, partial season tickets and full season tickets can purchased by calling the USA Hockey Arena box office at (734) 453-8400 or visiting the arena website at www.usahockeyarena.com.