Cloquet's Jamie Langenbrunner and Bloomington's Zach Parise celebrate a USA goal vs. Canada in 2010.
USA Hockey this afternoon released its roster of players invited to participate in its Men’s National Team Orientation Camp later this summer and those with Minnesota connections are well-represented. Of the 48 players chosen, 14 are Minnesotans while two others have strong ties to the state and the Minnesota Wild are represented twice.
By position, the Minnesotans are:
Defense (7) – Dustin Byfuglien, Roseau, Winnipeg Jets (NHL); Justin Faulk, South St. Paul, Carolina Hurricanes (NHL); Jake Gardiner, Minnetonka, Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL); Erik Johnson, Bloomington, Colorado Avalanche (NHL); Nick Leddy, Eden Prairie, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Paul Martin, Elk River, Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL); Ryan McDonagh, St. Paul, New York Rangers (NHL).
Forwards (7) – David Backes, Spring Lake Park, St. Louis Blues (NHL); Nick Bjugstad, Blaine, Florida Panthers (NHL); Kyle Okposo, St. Paul, New York Islanders (NHL); T.J. Oshie, Warroad, St. Louis Blues (NHL); Zach Parise, Bloomington, Minnesota Wild (NHL); Derek Stepan, Hastings, New York Rangers (NHL).
In addition, former Gopher Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, to no one’s surprise, were each invited to the camp.
A total of 33 players on the orientation camp roster have played U.S. college hockey including seven former Gophers (Bjugstad, Leddy, Kessel, Okposo, Johnson, Martin, Wheeler), one Minnesota State Maverick (Backes), one Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog (Faulk), two from North Dakota (Parise, Oshie), and four Wisconsin Badgers (Suter, McDonagh, Gardiner, Stepan).
Scheduled for Aug. 26-27 at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, practice facility of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, the camp marks the beginning of the audition process for players to earn a spot on the final roster coach Dan Bylsma will lead into the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Those fortunate enough to ultimately make the trip to Sochi for the Feb. 12-23 men’s ice hockey competition will be charged with the task of improving on Team USA’s 2010 silver-medal performance in Vancouver.
According to Parise, in an interview with the StarTribune’s Michael Russo on KFAN radio this morning, players were notified of the news via text message.
The announcement comes on the heels of Friday’s revelation that the National Hockey League and the International Ice Hockey Federation, after weeks of negotiation, had reached an agreement paving the way for NHL players to participate in the Olympics for a fifth straight time. The league will shut down from Feb. 9-26 to allow the world’s best players to compete for the sport’s highest international prize.
Below is USA Hockey’s complete Men’s National Team Orientation Camp roster.
GOALTENDERS
Name | Hometown | Current Team |
| Craig Anderson | Park Ridge, Ill. | Ottawa Senators (NHL) |
| John Gibson | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Norfolk Admirals (AHL) |
| Jimmy Howard | Syracuse, N.Y. | Detroit Red Wings (NHL) |
| Ryan Miller | East Lansing, Mich. | Buffalo Sabres (NHL) |
| Jonathan Quick | Milford, Conn. | Los Angeles Kings (NHL) |
| Cory Schneider | Marblehead, Mass. | New Jersey Devils (NHL) |
DEFENSEMEN
Name | Hometown | Current Team |
| Zach Bogosian | Massena, N.Y. | Winnipeg Jets (NHL) |
| Dustin Byfuglien | Roseau, Minn. | Winnipeg Jets (NHL) |
| John Carlson | Colonia, N.J. | Washington Capitals (NHL) |
| Dan DeKeyser | Clay Township, Mich. | Detroit Red Wings (NHL) |
| Justin Faulk | South St. Paul, Minn. | Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) |
| Cam Fowler | Farmington Hills, Mich. | Anaheim Ducks (NHL) |
| Jake Gardiner | Minnetonka, Minn. | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) |
| Erik Johnson | Bloomington, Minn. | Colorado Avalanche (NHL) |
| Jack Johnson | Ann Arbor, Mich. | Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) |
| Seth Jones | Plano, Texas | Nashville Predators (NHL) |
| Nick Leddy | Eden Prairie, Minn. | Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) |
| Paul Martin | Minneapolis, Minn. | Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) |
| Ryan McDonagh | St. Paul, Minn. | New York Rangers (NHL) |
| Brooks Orpik | San Francisco, Calif. | Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) |
| Kevin Shattenkirk | Greenwich, Conn. | St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
| Ryan Suter | Madison, Wis. | Minnesota Wild (NHL) |
| Jacob Trouba | Rochester, Mich. | Winnipeg Jets (NHL) |
| Keith Yandle | Boston, Mass. | Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) |
FORWARDS
Name | Hometown | Current Team |
| Justin Abdelkader | Muskegon, Mich. | Detroit Red Wings (NHL) |
| David Backes | Minneapolis, Minn. | St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
| Beau Bennett | Gardena, Calif. | Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) |
| Nick Bjugstad | Minneapolis, Minn. | Florida Panthers (NHL) |
| Dustin Brown | Ithaca, N.Y. | Los Angeles Kings (NHL) |
| Ryan Callahan | Rochester, N.Y. | New York Rangers (NHL) |
| Alex Galchenyuk | Milwaukee, Wis. | Montreal Canadiens (NHL) |
| Patrick Kane | Buffalo, N.Y. | Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) |
| Ryan Kesler | Livonia, Mich. | Vancouver Canucks (NHL) |
| Phil Kessel | Madison, Wis. | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) |
| Trevor Lewis | Salt Lake City, Utah | Los Angeles Kings (NHL) |
| Kyle Okposo | St. Paul, Minn. | New York Islanders (NHL) |
| T.J. Oshie | Warroad, Minn. | St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
| Max Pacioretty | New Canaan, Conn. | Montreal Canadiens (NHL) |
| Kyle Palmieri | Smithtown, N.Y. | Anaheim Ducks (NHL) |
| Zach Parise | Minneapolis, Minn. | Minnesota Wild (NHL) |
| Joe Pavelski | Plover, Wis. | San Jose Sharks (NHL) |
| Bobby Ryan | Cherry Hills, N.J. | Ottawa Senators (NHL) |
| Brandon Saad | Gibsonia, Pa. | Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) |
| Craig Smith | Madison, Wis. | Nashville Predators (NHL) |
| Paul Stastny | St. Louis, Mo. | Colorado Avalanche (NHL) |
| Derek Stepan | Hastings, Minn. | New York Rangers (NHL) |
| James van Riemsdyk | Middletown, N.J. | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) |
| Blake Wheeler | Robbinsdale, Minn. | Winnipeg Jets (NHL) |
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