Edina defenseman Clayton Phillips joins Lakeville North forward Ryan Poehling on the the USA Hockey Under-18 Team that is participating in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. Photo by Nick Wosika
Poehling led the Panthers with 34 assists and 54 points and was second in goals with 20 this year. The junior forward led Lakeville North (22-6-1) back to the Class 2A, Section 1 finals, where the Panthers lost to Farmington 6-2. The St. Cloud State commit, along with his twin brothers Jack and Nick, guided Lakeville North to a 31-0 record and the state title two years ago. He accelerated his high school class load to graduate early and, after a brief stint this spring playing for the USHL's Lincoln Stars, will join his brothers in St. Cloud next season.
Roseville native Mikey Anderson, a defenseman who played his freshman year Hill-Murray (2014-15) before joining the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks in 2015, also was selected for the US team.
Forward Austin Pratt, who is from Lakeville and won national championships as an eighth- and ninth-grader at Shattuck-St. Mary's before signing with the WHL's Red Deer Rebels, is the state's final representative on the tournament roster, which includes 21 players who participated at the USA Hockey Boys Select 17 Player Development Camp in June.
Click here for the complete roster.
The annual Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is an international tournament for under-18 teams. This year's field features the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. The event is named for one of the first Czech hockey stars and began as a three-team showcase in 1991. It expanded to an eight-team format in 1997. The U.S. won the tournament in 2003 and has 12 top-three finishes. Minnesota trails only Michigan (5) for most representatives on this year’s national team.