Amherst, N.Y. — USA Hockey unveiled its roster for the 2018 Five Nations Tournament on Friday afternoon following the conclusion of the organization’s Select 16 Player Development Camp, a showcase of the top 2002-born prospects in the country.
Three New England natives and three prep school players from outside of the region were named to the U.S. Under-17 Men’s Select Team that will compete in the Five Nations Tournament August 15-19 in Piestany, Slovakia. The other countries competing in the event are the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland.
Dorchester, Mass., native Mark Dennehy, the former Merrimack head coach who was recently hired as head coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, will be the team’s head coach. One of his assistant coaches will be former Brown head coach Roger Grillo, who is from Providence, R.I.
The three New Englanders are Gavin Fitzpatrick (Norwood, Mass.), Mackie Samoskevich (Newtown, Conn.) and Jack Williams (Biddeford, Maine).
Fitzpatrick, one of two goaltenders selected for the team, plays for Thayer Academy. He had the best save percentage at Select 16s and started in the All-Star Game. As a sophomore this past winter, he was the starters for the Tigers as they advanced all the way to the championship game of the NEPSAC Large School Tournament.
Samoskevich is one of the top uncommitted forwards in this birth year. He plays for Shattuck St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. He had two goals and three assists in six games at Select 16s, including a helper in the All-Star Game.
Williams, committed to Northeastern, plays forward for Selects Academy at South Kent. He had two goals and three assists in six games, including Friday’s All-Star Game.
The three prep school players were Michael Cameron, Jarod Crespo, and Christian Jimenez. Cameron, a forward recruit for RPI, and Crespo, a defenseman committed to Penn State, are both slated to play for Salisbury starting in the fall. Jimenez, a defenseman committed to Harvard, will be in his second season with Taft when the prep season resumes in November.
Several players considered locks to make the roster didn't have good weeks and were rightfully excluded from the roster by USA Hockey. However, a few other players were shockingly omitted. Chicago Mission product Gerard Keane, who is heading to the OHL to play for the London Knights, deserved to make the team. There were a few questionable personnel decisions made at the forward position.
The U.S. team will be led by forward Cross Hanas, who led the camp in scoring. He was dominant in the All-Star game, recording a goal and two assists while being on the ice for all four of his team's goals. The Highland Village, Texas, native will head to play for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week was the stellar play of Hanas' All-Star Game linemate, Daniyal Dzhaniyev. The New Jersey Titans product was a relative unknown prior to his breakout performance at camp. Diminutive in stature, he was slick, putting up six goals and seven assists in the six games, including a goal and three assists in the All-Star Game. Uncommitted, he's now being courted by several big time programs, including Michigan and Penn State.
