Cooper named head coach of Under-17 Select Team
St. Louis Bandits coach-GM Jon Cooper will serve as head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that will take part in the 2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament from August 20-24 in Strakonice, Tabor and Pribram, Czech Republic.
Cooper is set to begin his fifth season as the head coach of the Bandits. Last year, he led the team to a 43-14-5 record and the league's Robertson Cup Championship, representing USA Hockey's Tier 2 Junior A national champion.
He was named the 2004-05 NAHL Coach of the Year and has coached hockey at numerous levels, including Junior A, Junior B and Midget. Cooper also served as an assistant coach for the USA Hockey InLine National Team that won the gold medal at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation Inline Hockey World Championship.
Under-17 Select Team members were chosen from the 2007 USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp, which was held June 23-29 at the ESL Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y., and featured many of America's best hockey players born in 1991.
The Under-17 Five Nations Tournament will host teams from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States.
Kyle Wallack will serve as the team's assistant coach. Wallack recently completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Yale University men's ice hockey team. Prior to coaching at Yale, he worked on the College of the Holy Cross coaching staff as recruiting coordinator for two seasons.
NOTES: Last August, at the Under-17 Three Nations Tournament, Team Blue finished with a record of 3-0-0, while Team White finished with a 2-1-0 record. The 21 players on the roster represent 11 different states . Cooper is a USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach and Wallac k is a Level 3 certified coach . The annual USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp provides top young players with concentrated on- and off-ice training and instruction as well as the opportunity to compete at a national level against other players from their age group.
