
Nicholas Van Tassell (far right) played for the New Jersey Rockets youth organization prior to the USHL. (Paul Bryant/USA Hockey)
After five days of Boys Select 17 Camp in Amherst, N.Y., USA Hockey has narrowed the list of players vying for a spot on the U.S. National Under-18 Select Team down to 40.
The final roster for the U.S. team that will compete in the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, taking place Aug. 2-7 in the Czech Republic, will feature 23 American prospects born in 2004. As always, players from the U.S. NTDP are not eligible for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Of the 28 players from the Tri-State Area that were invited to the initial development camp, four made the cut to join the pair of all-star teams that will compete in three games over the next two days as a final evaluation period for the under-18 team.