Two graduates named to U.S. Junior Select Team

Two former NAHL players - forward Nic Dowd (Wenatchee Wild, 2008-09) and defenseman Kevin Gravel (Marquette Rangers, 2008-09) - were named to the 22-man roster for USA Hockey’s U.S. Junior Select Team that will compete at the World Junior A Challenge Nov. 1-8 in Summerside, P.E.I.

Dowd, a Huntsville, Ala., native, scored 16 goals for 49 points in 43 regular-season games for the Wild last season. In the playoffs, he tied for the top spot in postseason scoring totaling 22 points (eight goals) in 13 games to help Wenatchee advance to the championship game of the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament.

The Los Angeles Kings selected Dowd in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
 
Gravel, from Kingsford, Mich., totaled three goals for 14 points in 58 regular-season games for the Rangers in 2008-09. He was also a member of the 2009 U.S. Under-18 Select Team that competed at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia, last summer.

Both Dowd and Gravel are St. Cloud State University (WCHA) recruits.

The World Junior A Challenge will feature Belarus, Canada East, Canada West, Russia, Sweden and the United States.

The World Junior A Challenge is in its fourth year and the U.S. will be competing in the tournament for the third consecutive year. The U.S. won the championship in 2008 and garnered a third-place finish in 2007.

The U.S. Junior Select Team takes on Canada East in its first game on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. EST.