GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi is among 27 players named to the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team preliminary roster today by USA Hockey. The 27 players will attend training camp Dec. 16-18 at the New York Rangers' Madison Square Garden Training Center in Tarrytown, N.Y. An additional camp will follow in Helsinki, Finland, with the final 23-man roster announcement scheduled for Dec. 23.
The 2013 U.S. National Junior Team will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013, in Ufa, Russia.
Grimaldi has registered five goals and six assists in 14 games this season, tying him for fourth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) rookie scoring race. The Rossmoor, Calif., native has played in every game this season after missing all but four games last season due to injury.
The preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year and a second-round draft pick (33rd overall) of the Florida Panthers in 2011, Grimaldi has extensive USA Hockey experience. Prior to coming to UND, Grimaldi spent the previous two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP), amassing 136 points in 120 games. He helped lead the United States to back-to-back gold medals at the 2011 and 2010 IIHF World Under-18 Championships.
Grimaldi also was a part of the U.S. Under-18 Team that won the 2010 Four Nations Cup in Sundsvall, Sweden, where he was named the tournament’s top forward with six points in three games.
Grimaldi and ninth-ranked North Dakota will host sixth-ranked Denver on Friday and Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
