Ryan Malone skates with the puck during the gold-medal game against Canada at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 at Canada Hockey Place on Feb. 28, 2010 in Vancouver.
Brian Gionta, a 15-year NHL veteran who won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003, and who has represented Team USA at three world championships in addition to the Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006, is one of 29 players named to the 2017 U.S. Men’s National Select Team that will compete at the Deutschland Cup.
On Tuesday, USA Hockey announced the roster for the four-team tournament that will be held Nov. 10-12 in Augsburg, Germany against teams from Slovakia, Russia and host Germany.
In addition to Gionta’s Olympic experience, forward Ryan Malone, who played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, helped Team USA win a silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010.
But Gionta and Malone aren’t the only former NHLers, as the roster features 21 players with NHL experience while six have AHL experience.
The team includes 20 players who have represented the U.S. in at least one International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships, nine of whom have combined for 13 medals. Eleven of the players previously have played for Team USA in the Deutschland Cup. And almost all of them are no strangers to playing in Europe, as 27 of the players are currently playing in European professional leagues.
The coaching staff for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team will also lead the team in Germany. Behind the bench will be head coach Tony Granato and assistants Keith Allain, Chris Chelios, Ron Rolston and Scott Young.
The roster includes goalies Ryan Zapolski and Brandon Maxwell, along with defensemen Mike Lundin, Dylan Reese, Mark Stuart, Matt Donovan, Jonathan Blum, Matt Gilroy, Noah Welch, Ryan Gunderson, Tom Gilbert, Bobby Sanguinetti and Chad Billins, along with forwards Garrett Roe, Robbie Earl, Ryan Lasch, Drew Shore, Sean Backman, Broc Little, Dan Sexton, Jim Slater, Brian O’Neill, Andy Miele, Mark Arcobello, Ryan Stoa, Malone and Gionta.
Gary R. Blockus is a journalist from Allentown, Pennsylvania who has covered multiple Olympic Games. He is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
