USA Hockey Magazine

AUGUST 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 7 T R E V O R C O N N E L LY a n d W I L L Z E L L E R S e a c h t a l l i e d a p a i r o f p o i n t s t o h e l p t h e U. S Under-18 Men's Select Team defeat Finland, 5-3, to claim third place at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup earlier this month at Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Stadium. " We are proud of our young players who will have successful journeys ahead of them, hopefully with some learning experienc- e s p r ov i d e d w i t h t h i s e ve n t ," sa i d L u ke Strand, head coach of the 2023 U.S. Under- 18 Men's Select Team. " We are grateful for USA Hockey extending this opportunity for the players, staff and families." Team USA's third-place finish marks its best performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup since 2016, when it placed second. C o n n e l l y a n d Z e l l e r s w e r e s t a n d o u t p e r f o r m e r s f o r Te a m U S A i n S l o v a k i a . Connelly 's 10 points in five games tied for the most in the tournament, while he and Zellers tied for the U.S. lead with five goals. Caleb Heil concluded the Hlinka Gretzky C u p w i t h 2 1 s a v e s i n g o a l o n 2 3 s h o t s against Finland. * * * * * Three days later, Cooper Simpson net- ted four goals and picked up two assists to help the U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team claim second place in the 2023 Five Nations Tournament with a 14-3 win over Germany at Rocknet Arena. Simpson led Team USA with 10 points (5G, 5A). Ben Kevan's six assists was the most in the tournament for the United States. Since 2007, Team USA has captured titles at eight Five Nations Tournaments (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021), as well as six second-place finishes (2007, 2008, 2009, 2019, 2022, 2023). P p U S A H O C K E Y N E W S , P E O P L E & P R O G R A M S O F F THE D R AW U.S. Under-17 and Under-18 Men's Select Teams Showcase Talents Overseas Growth Opportunities PHOTOS COURTESY Czech Ice Hockey; USA Hockey Archive TEAM USA Trevor Connelly Cooper Simpson Wesley Jefferson- Swint

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