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U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Unveiled

By USAHockey.com, 01/01/18, 3:00PM EST

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17-player roster includes nine players who won the gold medal at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games

USA Hockey announced the 17-player roster for the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team today, including 10 players who won the gold medal at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. The squad will represent the United States at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games March 9-18 in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Roster

The United States roster is led by captain Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.), alternate captains Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) and Nikko Landeros (Johnstown, Colo.) and goaltender Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.). All four were members of the gold medal-winning 2014 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.

"As a whole, this team has all the ingredients to be successful,” said Dan Brennan, director of sled hockey for USA Hockey and general manager of the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. “We’re going to be a fast-paced, puck-moving team that is led by a great core of veterans who knows what it takes to win.”

Cash, who has backstopped the U.S. to two Paralympic gold medals (2010, 2014) and three Para Sled Hockey World Championship gold medals (2009, 2012, 2015), is competing in his fourth Paralympic Winter Games after also being a part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. He is joined in the crease by Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.), who was a member of the gold medal-winning 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team and previously skated four seasons with Team USA from 2011-14.

On defense, Team USA welcomes back 2014 Paralympic gold medalists Tyler Carron (Fort Collins, Colo.), Landeros and Pauls, who all helped Team USA claim gold medals at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship and 2016 IPC Pan-Pacific Championship. Landeros and Pauls also helped the U.S. win gold at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Joining the Paralympic veterans on the blue line are Billy Hanning (Festus, Mo.), who helped the U.S. win a gold medal at the 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship, and Ralph DeQuebec (San Pedro, Calif.), who is in his first season with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.

Of the 10 forwards named to this year’s roster, five were part of the gold medal-winning 2014 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team in Sochi, Russia, including Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.), Kevin McKee (Chicago, Ill.), Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.) and Rico Roman (Portland, Ore). Joining them on offense are 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship gold medalists Luke McDermott (Westerlo, N.Y.) and Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.); 2017 Para Sled Hockey World Championship silver medalists Noah Grove (Fredrick, Md.) and Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) and 2017-18 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team newcomer, Travis Dodson (Deming, N.M.).

Prior to the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, the United States will travel to Turin, Italy, for a tournament from Jan. 19-28, 2018, and take part in a Border Series versus Canada from 7-11, 2018 in Buffalo, New York, and Port Colborne, Ontario.

Since its win at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, the United States has claimed five of the last six major international events, including the 2015 World Sled Hockey Challenge in Leduc, Alberta; the 2015 IPC Sled Hockey World Championship in Buffalo, New York; the 2016 (Jan.) World Sled Hockey Challenge in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia; the 2016 IPC Pan-Pacific Championship in Buffalo, New York; the 2016 (Dec.) World Sled Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and most recently the 2017 World Sled Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. It also earned a silver medal at the 2017 Para Sled Hockey World Championship in Gangneung, South Korea. 

For more information on the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, including the full roster, please click here.

By The Numbers

  • Average Height: 5'3"
  • Average Weight: 159 lbs
  • Average Age: 27 years, 6 months
    • Oldest: Rico Roman (36 years, 7 months)
    • Youngest: Noah Grove (18 years, 8 months)

VETERAN EXPERIENCE

  • 10 Paralympians
    • 1 three-time Paralympic medalist (Steve Cash; Gold - 2010, 2014; bronze - 2006)
    • 3 two-time Paralympic gold medalists (Josh Pauls, Nikko Landeros, Adam Page in addition to above)
    • 6 Paralympic gold medalists from Sochi 2014
      • Tyler Carron, Declan Farmer, Jen Lee, Kevin McKee, Rico Roman, Brody Roybal
  • 15 World Championship medalists
    • 6 players are multi- World Championship gold medalists
      • 3 times: Steve Cash, Adam Page and Josh Pauls (2009, 2012, 2015)
      • 2 times: Tyler Carron, Nikko Landeros, Kevin McKee (2012, 2015)

NOTES: Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.), Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.), Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) and general manager Dan Brennan (Colorado Springs, Colo.) were in attendance for the live reveal of the roster in the second intermission of the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field ... The selection of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team is subject to the approval of the U.S. Paralympics ... The U.S. has medaled in four of the five Paralympic Winter Games it has competed in, with gold medals in 2014, 2010 and 2002 and a bronze medal in 2006 ... Deloitte, Labatt USA and Toyota are proud sponsors of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team ... Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), who led Team USA to a silver medal at the 2017 Para Sled Hockey World Championship in Gangneung, South Korea, will serve as head coach of the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. Joining Gosselin behind the bench is assistant coach David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.) while additional staff members include team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.) ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national and Olympic/Paralympic teams.

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