Today's Opponent: Switzerland

Team USA is 5-0 in its last five meetings with Switzerland at the Five Nations Tournament, outscoring the Swiss 38-7 over that span.

2017 vs. Switzerland

Team USA faced off with Switzerland most recently at the 2017 Five Nations Tournament, with the U.S. winning 8-1. Many players from the team who would go on to play in the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup played a significant role for the U.S. in the win, including Josh Groll (San Diego, Calif.), Arthur Kaliyev (Delray Beach, Fla.), Robert Mastrosimone (East Islip, N.Y.), Mitchell Miller (Sylvania, Ohio) and Grant Silianoff (Edina, Minn.), who all factored into the scoring for Team USA.

Game 1 Recap

Despite outshooting the Czech Republic by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team suffered a 3-2 setback Wednesday in its opening game at the Under-17 Five Nations Tournament.

Trailing 2-0 early in the second period, Team USA answered with two consecutive goals from Daniyal Dzhaniyev (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Cross Hanas (Highland Village, Texas). 

After falling behind by one in the third period, Team USA pressed hard for the equalizer and generated numerous scoring chances, but despite piling up a 43-22 advantage in shots on goal, time expired before the U.S. could find a way to tie the game.

Dennehy Leading the Way

Mark Dennehy (St. Cloud, Minn.) is the head coach of the 2018 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team after serving as an assistant coach last year in Ostrava, Czech Republic, when the U.S. claimed first place. The head coach of the Binghamton Devils, the New Jersey Devils' AHL affiliate, Dennehy previously coached the Merrimack Warriors of the Hockey East Association for 13 years. The staff also includes assistant coaches Roger Grillo (Providence, R.I.), Matthew Curley (Madrid, N.Y.) and Joseph Palmer (Syracuse, N.Y.).

USA Hockey Player Development Camps

The 2018 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team was chosen from players skating at USA Hockey's 2018 Boys Select 16 Player Development Camp in Amherst, New York. The USA Hockey National Player Development Camps for 15-year-olds, 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds provide the nation’s top young players with age-appropriate on- and off-ice training and coaching from elite-level instructors, as well as the opportunity to compete against their peers from throughout the country. Players earn invitations to the national camps through their performance at a series of state- and district-level camps held each season. The camps are designed so players return home afterward with the tools to further develop their skills over the course of the coming season and beyond. Since their launch in 1977, USA Hockey’s National Player Development Camps have been a springboard for countless future Olympians and professional players.