COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The International Ice Hockey Federation has ruled U.S. National Junior Team candidate Stefan Noesen (Plano, Texas) ineligible for the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, USA Hockey announced today.
Noesen, who plays for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, was suspended for 10 games by the OHL for a hit in a game on Dec. 8. The IIHF recognizes suspensions from certified leagues in member federations and because there will be seven games remaining in Noesen’s suspension prior to the start of the IIHF World Junior Championship, Noesen will not be eligible for participate in the tournament.
“While we respect the IIHF’s decision, we don’t feel the process is equitable,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “Moving forward, we’ll work with the IIHF and other federations to address the situation.”
The IIHF World Junior Championship features the top men's ice hockey players in the world under the age of 20 and is one of the top events on the world hockey calendar each year. Participating nations include Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
The U.S. has earned a medal in two of the last three IIHF World Junior Championships, including gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011.
NOTES: USA Hockey is currently conducting a training camp in Tarrytown, N.Y., at the New York Rangers training facility with 26 candidates hoping to make the final 23-player U.S. National Junior Team roster. For Team USA's preliminary roster, click here ... Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He is assisted by Mark Osiecki (Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University, Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Team USA will compete in a group with Canada, Germany, Russia and Slovakia at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. For more information about the tournament, click here ... In August, 45 players attended the 2012 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. Complete details from that camp can be found here.