COLORADO SPRINGS, USA - USA Hockey named the 29 players that have been invited to its pre-tournament camp beginning Dec. 17 in Troy, Rochester, Jamestown and Amherst, and make up the preliminary 2011 U.S. National Junior Team roster.

The camp will include exhibition games against Rensselaer’s men’s ice hockey team (Dec. 19), the Czech Republic (Dec. 21) and Norway (Dec. 23). The final U.S. National Junior Team 22-man roster will be announced prior to Team USA’s final exhibition game against Norway.

The team will compete at the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship, Dec. 26, 2010, to Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo and Niagara, New York.

“We’re excited with the group of players coming to the camp,” said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. “It was difficult to get down to the 29 and we’ll have some tough decisions to get down to our final 22-man roster, but that’s a good problem to have.”

Among those invited to the camp are eight returning players from the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltender Jack Campbell; defenceman John Ramage; and forwards Ryan Bourque, Jerry D’Amigo, Chris Kreider, Jeremy Morin, Kyle Palmieri and Jason Zucker.

Also highlighting the preliminary roster are 11 players from the team that won the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championship, including Campbell and Andy Iles in goal; defencemen Adam Clendening, Justin Faulk, Derek Forbort and Jon Merrill; and forwards Connor Brickley, Rocco Grimaldi, Matt Nieto, Brandon Saad and Zucker.

U.S. preliminary roster

Goalkeepers

Jack Cambpell, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Andy Iles, Cornell Univ. (ECACH)

Defencemen

Adam Clendening, Boston Univ. (HEA)
Brian Dumoulin, Boston College (HEA)
Justin Faulk, Univ. of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA)
Derek Forbort, Univ. of North Dakota (WCHA)
Nick Leddy, Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Jon Merrill, Univ. of Michigan (CCHA)
Jamie Oleksiak, Northeastern Univ. (HEA)
John Ramage, Univ. of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Philip Samuelsson, Boston College (HEA)
Patrick Wey, Boston College (HEA)

Forwards

Nick Bjugstad, Univ. of Minnesota (WCHA)
Ryan Bourque, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Connor Brickley, Univ. of Vermont (HEA)
Chris Brown, Univ. of Michigan (CCHA)
Mitch Callahan, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Charlie Coyle, Boston Univ. (HEA)
Jerry D'Amigo, Toronto Marlies (AHL)
Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Rocco Grimaldi, U.S. NTDP U-18 (USHL)
Chris Kreider, Boston College (HEA)
Jeremy Morin, Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Brock Nelson, Univ. of North Dakota (WCHA)
Matt Nieto, Boston Univ. (HEA)
Kyle Palmieri, Syracuse Crunch (AHL)
Brandon Saad, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Drew Shore, Univ. of Denver (WCHA)
Jason Zucker, Univ. of Denver (WCHA)

Notes:

• Click here for the schedule of the 2010 IIHF World U20 Championship.
• For exhibition games prior to the event, click here.
• Check out BuffaloWorldJuniors.com for ticket information.
• The U.S. preliminary roster includes 18 first or second-round NHL draft picks, including nine first-rounders. Additionally, six players are NHL draft eligible in 2011.
• A total of 13 states are represented on the U.S. preliminary roster, with Minnesota and Massachusetts leading the way with five players each. New York and California are right behind with four players apiece.
• Since 2000, Team USA has a 64.2 winning percentage (42-3-5-19-5/W-OTW-OTL-L-T) in the IIHF World U20 Championship and has medalled on three occasions, including gold in both 2004 and 2010.
• Keith Allain, head men’s ice hockey coach at nationally-ranked Yale University, is the head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. He will be assisted by Mark Osiecki, head men’s ice hockey coach at The Ohio State University; Phil Housley, head boys’ ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) high school; and Joe Exter, goaltending coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.
• Jim Johannson is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Tim Taylor, former U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team head coach and long-time Yale University men’s ice hockey head coach, is also serving his second straight year as Team USA’s director of player personnel.