Playing for the United States of America is something that is very special to the select athletes that get the chance to play for their country. Five players from the United States Hockey League will have the opportunity of representing their country in the U-18 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Brian Cooper of the Fargo Force is one of those players.
Team USA will start their title quest against Slovakia in an exhibition contest on August 7th. The Americans will open the tournament against the Czech Republic two days later. Game against Russia and Finland will be conducted the two days following the opener.
For Cooper, it is not only an opportunity to showcase his talents; it is an opportunity to improve. There is no question that the Force will need to lean heavily on Cooper and the returning defensemen, especially early in the season.
Cooper won't put up gaudy offensive numbers. In 55 regular season games for Fargo last season, he scored just three goals and added 10 assists for 13 points. He did become a shutout defenseman who was able to lower the boom with several big hits in the second half of the season. In the players, Cooper was one of the most consistent defensemen for a very good defensive club that came one goal short of winning the Clark Cup Title.
Forwards Seth Ambroz (Omaha), Cason Hohmann (Cedar Rapids), and Theo DiPauli (Chicago) will be the USHL players that will represent the Red, White, and Blue in Europe. Cooper will join Connor Murphy (Team USA) as the only USHL defensemen to join the Americans.
The success of the American team can be followed on the USA Hockey Website. The full team roster of 21 players can also be found there.
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