Three locals named to 2019 U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team

Alex Gaffney of the Muskegon Lumberjacks is a New Jersey Colonials and North Jersey Avalanche product. (Jenae Anderson/accesshockeymi.com)

Three players from New York and New Jersey were named to the 2019 U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team that will represent USA Hockey at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Alex Gaffney (West Orange, N.J.), Ryan Kirwan (DeWitt, N.Y.) and David Ma (Yonkers, N.Y.) were named to the roster following the 2019 USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp that took place the past week at the Northtown Center in Amherst, N.Y.

The U.S. Under-18 Men’s Select Team is always chosen from players at the Select 17 Festival. Players born in 2002 are eligible to compete in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the first major international scouting event ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Gaffney, a forward for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, played for the New Jersey Colonials and North Jersey Avalanche prior to this past season. Gaffney brings skill and quickness to the team. In 57 regular season games during his first USHL campaign, the Harvard commit tallied 13 goals and added nine helpers.