December 1, 1998
ANN ARBOR, Mich.- Two University of Notre Dame forwards-sophomore Dan Carlson (Edina, Minn.) and freshman David Inman (Toronto, Ont.)-are among 26 invitees for the upcoming United States Junior National team training camp, to be held Dec. 14-17 at the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Ice Cube facility. Following the four-day camp, 22 of the players will be selected to the 1998-99 U.S. Junior National Team that will compete in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship, Dec. 26-Jan. 5, in Winnipeg and five other cities in Manitoba, Canada.
The camp roster features eight returnees from the 1997-98 U.S. team that finished fifth at the 1998 IIHF World Junior Championship in Finland. Current Notre Dame junior forwards Ben Simon and Joe Dusbabek were members of last year’s U.S. junior team, with Simon also skating on the 1996-97 U.S. team that claimed the World Junior silver medal in Switzerland.
Carlson is considered a leading candidate to earn one of the U.S. squad’s left wing spots while Inman is part of a group of 14 total forwards who potentially are competing for 12 roster spots. Inman-who owns dual citizenship in both Canada and the U.S. (his father is a Canadian citizen, his mother a U.S. citizen)-has centered the second Irish forward line this season but could be tried at left wing as well at the tryout camp.
Thr 5-10, 190-pound Carlson has skated alongside Inman this season and ranks fourth on the Irish squad with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists), including two power-play goals, one game-winning goal and the team’s only shorthanded score of the season. He ranked among the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s top freshman scorers in 1997-98 with 11 goals (three PP, three SH) and 17 assists.
The 6-1, 190-pound Inman is fifth on the current Irish squad with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists), including a pair of power-play goals and one game-winning goal.
Should Carlson and/or Inman make the junior national squad, they would miss Notre Dame’s two-game series at current No. 1-ranked North Dakota on Jan. 2-3 but would return in time for the Jan. 8 CCHA game at Bowling Green.
Notre Dame freshman center Brett Henning also was among the players being considered for invitations to the tryout camp. Henning spent the 1997-98 school year as a member of the U.S. under-18 national team.
The 26 invitees include 16 current college players, with half of those hailing from teams in the CCHA. In addition to Carlson and Inman, the CCHA invitees include three Michigan State players (goaltender Josh Blackburn, forward Adam Hall and defenseman Andrew Hutchinson), Michigan defenseman Jeff Jillson, Bowling Green forward Ryan Murphy and Lake Superior State forward Mike Vigilante.
The eight other college players include two each from Wisconsin and Maine and one each from Boston College, Minnesota, Colorado College and Boston University.
The remaining 10 invitees include nine players currently playing in major-junior hockey leagues and recent University of Michigan signee Andy Hilbert, who currently is playing with the U.S. under-18 program.
Among the returnees is Plymouth Whalers forward David Legwand (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.), the second overall pick in the 1998 NHL draft by the Nashville Predators.
Other returnees include Boston College forward Brian Gionta (Rochester, N.Y.), who had five goals and three assists in last season’s World Junior Championship; Guelph Storm goaltender Chris Madden (Liverpool, NY), who led the Storm to the 1998 Memorial Cup championship game and was named the tournament’s most valuable player; Tri-City Americans forward Scott Gomez (Anchorage, Alaska), the 27th overall draft selection of the New Jersey Devils in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft; Plymouth Whalers defenseman Paul Mara (Belmont, Mass.), the seventh overall draft selection of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft; Plymouth Whalers defenseman Nikos Tselios (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), a cousin of Chicago Blackhawk Chris Chelios and the 22nd overall selection of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft; Kamloops Blazers defenseman Chris St. Croix (Voorhees, N.J.), son of former NHL goaltender Rick St. Croix; and Oshawa Generals forward Kevin Colley (New Haven, Conn.), who had three assists in the 1998 World Junior Championship.
“We’ve tried to structure this group of players to be prepared to play on the smaller ice sheets, but we still have good speed,” U.S. National Coach Jeff Jackson said. “I like the mix of size and skill, and in the group we have excellent character.”
FULL TRYOUT CAMP ROSTER AND WORLD JUNIOR SCHEDULE
1998-99 U.S. JUNIOR NATIONAL CAMP ROSTERPlayer Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Sh. Hometown 1998-99 TeamJoe Blackburn G 5-11 180 1/26/79 R Livonia, MI Michigan StateDan Carlson F 5-10 190 4/6/79 L Edina, MN Notre Dame Kevin Colley F 5-10 175 1/4/79 R New Haven, CT Oshawa (OHL)Tim Connolly F 6-1 185 5/7/81 R Baldwinsville, NY Erie (OHL)Matt Doman F 6-1 220 2/10/80 R Sartell, MN Univ. of Wisconsin Brian Gionta F 5-5 160 1/18/79 R Rochester, NY Boston CollegeScott Gomez F 5-10 180 12/23/79 L Anchorage, AK Tri-Cities (WHL)Adam Hall F 6-3 200 8/14/80 R Kalamazoo, MI Michigan StateBarrett Heisten F 6-0 185 3/19/80 L Anchorage, AK Univ. of Maine Andy Hilbert F 5-11 190 2/6/81 L Howell, MI U.S. Und-18 Ntnl TmAndrew Hutchinson D 6-2 185 3/24/80 R Rochester Hills, MI Michigan StateDavid Inman F 6-1 180 6/13/80 L Toronto, ONT Notre Dame Doug Janik D 6-2 200 3/26/80 L Agawam, MA Univ. of Maine Jeff Jillson D 6-3 220 7/24/80 R N. Smithfield, RI Univ, of Michigan David Legwand F 6-2 175 8/17/80 L Grosse Pte Woods, MI Plymouth (OHL)Jordan Leopold D 6-1 195 8/3/80 L Golden Valley, MN Univ. of Minnesota Chris Madden G 6-0 170 3/10/79 L Liverpool, NY Guelph (OHL)Paul Mara D 6-4 190 9/7/79 L Belmont, MA Plymouth (OHL)Justin Morrison F 6-3 200 8/10/79 R Los Angeles, CA Colorado CollegeRyan Murphy F 6-1 195 3/21/79 L Aurora, ONT Bowling GreenMike Pandolfo F 6-3 225 9/15/79 L Burlington, MA Boston UniversityPhillipe Sauve G 6-0 175 7/27/80 L Blainville, QUE Rimouski (QMJHL)Chris St. Croix D 6-2 185 5/2/79 R Voorhees, NJ Kamloops (WHL)Dave Tanabe D 6-1 190 7/19/80 R White Bear Lake, MN Univ. of Wisconsin Nikos Tselios D 6-4 190 1/20/79 L Glen Ellyn, IL Plymouth (OHL)Mike Vigilante F 5-11 195 8/19/79 L Dearborn, MI Lake Superior State
1998-99 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULEPool A: Finland, Czech Republic, United States, Canada, SlovakiaPool B: Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Belarus
DATE TIME (Local) LOCATION OPPONENTS Dec. 26 2:00 p.m. Winnipeg Sweden vs. Russia Dec. 26 2:00 p.m. Brandon Slovakia vs. Czech Republic Dec. 26 7:00 p.m. Selkirk Belarus vs. Switzerland Dec. 26 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg USA vs. Finland Dec. 27 3:30 p.m. Brandon Canada vs. Slovakia Dec. 27 7:00 p.m. Portage Kazakhstan vs. Belarus Dec. 28 2:00 p.m. Winnipeg Switzerland vs. Sweden Dec. 28 7:00 p.m. Brandon Czech Republic vs. USA Dec. 28 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg Finland vs. CanadaDec. 28 7:00 p.m. Portage Russia vs. Kazakhstan Dec. 29 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg Slovakia vs. Finland Dec. 29 7:00 p.m. Brandon Belarus vs. Russia Dec. 30 7:00 p.m. Brandon Switzerland vs. KazakhstanDec. 30 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg Czech Republic vs. CanadaDec. 30 7:00 p.m. Morden Sweden vs. Belarus Dec. 30 7:00 p.m. Selkirk USA vs. SlovakiaDec. 31 3:00 p.m. Brandon Russia vs. SwitzerlandDec. 31 4:00 p.m. Teulon Kazakhstan vs. Sweden Dec. 31 5:00 p.m. Winnipeg Canada vs. USADec. 31 5:00 p.m. Selkirk Finland vs. Czech RepublicJan. 2 1:30 p.m. Winnipeg Quarterfinal 1(B2 vs. A3) Jan. 2 7:30 p.m. Winnipeg Quarterfinal 2(A2 vs. B3) Jan. 3 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg Relegation (A4 vs. B5)Jan. 3 7:00 p.m. Portage Relegation (B4 vs. A5)Jan. 4 1:30 p.m. Winnipeg Semifinal (B1 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 2Jan. 4 6:00 p.m. Brandon 5th/6th Place(Loser Qrtrfnl 1 vs. Loser Qrtrfnl 2)Jan. 4 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg Semifinal (A1 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 1)Jan. 4 7:00 p.m. Selkirk Relegation (A5 vs. B5)Jan. 4 7:30 p.m. Morden Relegation (A4 vs. B4)Jan. 5 2:00 p.m. Winnipeg Bronze Medal GameJan. 5 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg Gold Medal Game