BLAISDELL NAMED TO IVAN HLINKA ROSTER

USA Hockey announced today that Kitchener Rangers defenceman Doug Blaisdell is one of 22 players chosen for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that will compete at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup Aug. 11-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.

Acquired by Kitchener in the third round of the 2013 Priority Selection, the Dearborn Heights, MI-born rearguard appeared in 49 games with the Rangers during his rookie season.

The Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is an annual event held each August for national under-18 teams from around the world. Named for one of the first Czech hockey stars, the tournament began in 1991 as a three-team showcase. Between 1997 and 2002, the format shifted to the current eight-team tournament. It was then named after Hlinka in 2007, three years after his passing.

Team USA will open their tournament on August 11, 2014 against the Czech Republic.

CLICK HERE to see a full team roster