U.S. Junior team loaded

Oct. 27, 2003. 04:05 PM

U.S. junior team loaded

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CP) — The U.S. is expected to be a strong contender for gold at the 2004 world junior hockey championship after releasing an early roster Monday loaded with NHL first-round draft picks.

Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown and top NHL picks Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are included on the 16-player preliminary roster issued by USA Hockey.

The remaining six players on the 22-man team will be named on Dec. 2, which will likely be a day after the Canadian team names its selection camp roster.

With a large number of returning players, the U.S. is expected battle for top spot on the podium along with Canada and Russia at the world championship in Helsinki and Hameenlinna, Finland, Dec. 26-Jan. 5. The 10-team tournament features the world's top hockey players under the age of 20.

The Americans' lineup includes 10 returning players from the team that finished fourth at the 2003 world tournament in Halifax and 13 players who helped the U.S. win gold at the world under-18 championship in April.
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I can't wait to see Zach play on the world stage again. I wonder if any of our other prospects will make the team? Tallackson made it last season. I wonder if Jason Ryznar has a shot? Any thoughts?

I believe that both Tallackson and Ryznar are now both too old to participate as in they are in their junior years. Not perhaps Vrana can make the Czech team, and Khomutov the russian however?

Forgot to include the link to this:

http://www.canada.com/sports/hockey/story.html?id=F1EB1004-B722-4B5E-BE11-E3B4E123389A
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The preliminary roster includes six players who were taken in the first round of the NHL draft in June: Suter (seventh, Nashville Predators), Brown (13th, Los Angeles), Parise (17th, New Jersey), Mark Stuart (21st, Boston), Ryan Kesler (23, Vancouver) and Patrick Eaves (29th, Ottawa).

Kesler and Parise are the top returning scorers with seven and eight points respectively at the 2003 tournament. Kelser currently plays for the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose.

University of Maine's Jimmy Howard and University of Michigan's Alvaro Montoya will share goaltending duties.

Brown, who played his junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm, has played eight games for the Kings.

OHL Players James Wisniewski (Plymouth) and Patrick O'Sullivan (Mississauga) are also on the roster.