The U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team, which features three Northland natives, begins its preparation for the upcoming Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup with an opening practice today in Budapest, Hungary.
Forwards Blake McLaughlin and Gavin Hain, who helped lead Grand Rapids High School to a Class AA state title this past winter, and Ryder Donovan of Duluth East will take part in a Team USA exhibition against the Hungarian U20 national team on Thursday, followed by another exhibition against Slovakia's U18 national team on Saturday in Bratislava, Slovakia.
The 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup gets underway Monday in Breclav, Czech Republic, with Team USA opening play against Sweden.
Minnesota Duluth verbal commitment Brady Meyer, a forward out of North Branch High School, is also playing for Team USA in the annual under-18 tournament featuring the U.S., Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, Russia and Slovakia.
