COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey today announced the first 20 players for the U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete in the 2015 World Junior A Challenge from Dec. 13-19 in Cobourg and Whitby, Ontario, Canada. The U.S. has won six of the last seven tournaments (2008-2010, 2012-14).

The group includes 13 forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender. An additional defenseman and goaltender will be added in the near future.

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All players currently compete in the United States Hockey League, the only Tier I junior hockey league in the U.S.

Four players were selected in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Tampa Bay took both Ryan Zuhlsdorf(Edina, Minn./Sioux City Musketeers/150th) and Kris Oldham (Anchorage, Alaska/Omaha Lancers/153rd) in the fifth round, Edmonton drafted John Marino (North Easton, Mass./Tri-City Storm) in the sixth round (154th), and Detroit picked Chase Pearson (Alpharetta, Ga./Youngstown Phantoms) in the fifth round (140th).

Two players, Mitch Reinke (Stillwater, Minn./Cedar Rapids Roughriders) and Zuhlsdorf, helped the U.S. capture the 2014 World Junior A Challenge title.

In addition, five players competed in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, an annual event featuring the top American players eligible for the NHL Entry Draft. Spenser Young(Brentwood, N.H./Dubuque Fighting Saints), Tanner Laczynski (Shorewood, Ill./Chicago Steel) and Pearson competed in the 2014 game, while Andrew Peeke (Parkland, Fla./Green Bay Gamblers) and William Knierim (Skokie, Ill./Dubuque Fighting Saints) competed in the 2015 event.

The U.S. will play an exhbition game against Canada East at 7:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 11 at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens in Trenton, Ontario, Canada. Team USA will kick off tournament play when it takes on the Czech Republic at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 14 at the Cobourg Community Centre.

Notes: To see the complete schedule and for full Team USA coverage, click here … Twelve USHL teams are represented on the roster. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders lead the way with four players … The 20 players come from 11 different states. Minnesota boasts the most representatives with six, while Massachusetts follows with three … Marc Boxer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will serve as general manager of the 2015 U.S. Junior Select Team. Cary Eades (Fargo, N.D./Fargo Force) will serve as head coach. Brian Kaufman (Shoreview, Minn./Omaha Lancers) and Dallas Steward (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chicago Steel) are assistant coaches. Additionally,Phil Faught (Fargo, N.D./Fargo Force) will serve as trainer; Jason Smits (Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon Lumberjacks) as equipment manager; and Dr. Alan Ashare (Boston, Mass.) as team doctor … The World Junior A Challenge is in its tenth year, and the United States is competing for the ninth time … The 2015 field includes Canada East, Canada West, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Russia and the United States … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. teams that compete internationally.