COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey has announced the 39 players that have been invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp, Aug. 1-8, in Lake Placid, N.Y. The players will audition for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2015 through Jan. 5, 2016, in Helsinki, Finland.

The United States has medaled in three of the last six IIHF World Junior Championships, including gold in 2013 and 2010 and bronze in 2011.

Players will stay at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center while all games and practices will be held at Lake Placid Olympic Center's 1980 Herb Brooks Arena. The U.S. players will practice and compete in international games against Finland and Sweden. Ticket information will be announced at a later date.

NOTES: Of the 39 players invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp, 15 competed in the United States Hockey League during the 2014-‘15 season, including 11 from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program ... Fourteen players competed in the college hockey ranks last season ... Fifteen of the 39 players participated in last year's camp. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (Parma, Ohio), who participated in last year's camp and was a member of the 2015 U.S. National Junior Team, will miss camp due to injury ... Ron Wilson (Riverside, R.I.) is the head coach of the 2016 U.S. National Junior Team. He is the first U.S. National Junior Team head coach to have previously served as a head coach in the National Hockey League and joins Lou Vairo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) as the only other U.S. National Junior Team head coach to have also served as head coach of a U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team and a U.S. Men's National Team ... The assistant coaches for Team USA are Chris Chelios (Chicago, Ill.), Danton Cole (Pontiac, Mich.) and Kevin Reiter (Pittsburg, Pa.) ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director for hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the seventh consecutive year ... Kelly Miller (Lansing, Mich.) and Doug Weight (Warren, Mich.) will serve as guest coaches at the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams.

For the complete roster and schedule log onto http://worldjuniors.usahockey.com/news_article/show/526339?referrer_id=1093254

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.