The week-long Boys Select 17 Player Development Camp concluded today at the Northtown Center in Amherst, New York, with its annual all-star games and Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster selection.

J.D. Forrest (Auburn, N.Y.), head coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) will serve as head coach for the 2021 U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team. Forrest previously served as an assistant coach at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2016 Youth Olympic Games. He will be joined behind the bench by assistant coaches Nick Fohr (Grand Forks, N.D.), Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.), Rich Hansen (New York, N.Y.) and Jared Waimon (Hamden, Conn.). Roger Grillo (Providence, R.I.), USA Hockey regional manager of the American Development Model, will serve as general manager.

Nick Siergiej (South Bend, Ind.) will serve as video coach, Kevin Krueger (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) will serve as team athletic trainer, Dr. Charles Popkin (Medina, Minn.) will serve as team physician, Justin Penna ( Saugus, Calif.) and Sean Schmidt (Ithica, N.Y.) will serve as equipment managers. 

NOTES: The 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup will include teams from Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States … Team USA has finished in the top three of the Hlinka tournament 13 times since the tournament began in 1991. The U.S. earned first place in 2003, second on nine occasions (1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2016) and third three times (1991, 1995, 2014).