COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey announced today the 18-player roster nominated to the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. The team was selected following a two-day tryout last week (July 19-20) that included 67 players in Williamsville, N.Y. The roster features 10 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders. The U.S. roster is subject to approval of the United States Olympic Committee.

The 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will take place March 7-16 in Sochi, Russia. All sled hockey games will be played at Shayba Arena.

"We're incredibly pleased with the roster we have built for the 2014 Paralympic Games," said Dan Brennan, general manager of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. "The talent pool in the U.S. has expanded rapidly in recent years, which made the selection of players very difficult.

"I am excited about the players we have selected," said Jeff Sauer, head coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, who is in his third season leading the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. "We have a great mix of Paralympic veterans as well as some younger players who are ready to take the next step internationally."

Nine players return from the 2010 U.S. squad that captured the gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, B.C. The list includes goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), who was voted top goaltender of the 2010 Paralympic Games after not allowing a single goal in five games, and defenseman Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), who was named the best defenseman in Vancouver. Additional Paralympic veterans include defensemen Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.), Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.) and Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa); and forwards Taylor Lipsett (Plano, Texas), Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.), Alexi Salamone (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Greg Shaw (Merritt Island, Fla.). Cash, Chace, Lipsett, Salamone and Yohe also received bronze medals at the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy.

Sixteen players on the Paralympic roster were members of the 2012-13 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that earned the silver medal at the 2013 International Paralympic Committee Sled Hockey World Championship. That list includes Tyler Carron (Fort Collins. Colo.), Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.), Dan McCoy (Cheswick, Pa.), Kevin McKee (Davenport, Iowa), Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.), Paul Schaus (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Josh Sweeney (Phoenix, Ariz.), in addition to Cash, Chace, Landeros, Lipsett, Page, Pauls, Salamone and Shaw.

Team USA's roster will be trimmed to 17 players by Jan. 1, 2014, to conform to the Paralympic Games roster limit. The youngest player on the roster is Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.), who turned 15 years old in May and is making his debut on a U.S. National Team. Declan Farmer is also 15 years old and will turn 16 in November. The oldest player on the squad is Andy Yohe at 35 years old. Four members of the team have served in the U.S. military. Jen Lee is active duty in the U.S. Army. Rico Roman is a U.S. Army veteran, while Paul Schaus and Josh Sweeney served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Dan Brennan (Colorado Springs, Colo.), director of sled and inline national teams for USA Hockey, is serving as the general manager of the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), American Development Model regional manager for USA Hockey, is in his third season as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. Additional staff members include team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.).