Trouba, Kerdiles return as U.S. seeks 4th straight gold

Three members of last year's team will return to help the U.S. go for a fourth straight gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

The tournament will be held April 12-22 in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic.

Forward Nicolas Kerdiles and defensemen Jacob Trouba, two highly-regarded players eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, again will be part of the team, as will defenseman Seth Jones, already considered a top selection for the 2013 draft.

Kerdiles, a 6-foot-2, 201-pound left wing, had 17 goals and a team-leading 38 points in 47 games for the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 team. He's No. 27 on NHL Central Scouting's mid-term ranking of the top North American skaters available for this year's draft. He had two assists in six games at last year's tournament.

Trouba, a 6-2, 193-pound defenseman, is No. 9 on Central Scouting's list and sixth among a rich crop of blueliners. A teammate of Kerdiles with the USNTDP U-18 team, he had eight goals and 21 assists in 47 games. He also played for the U.S. team at the 2012 World Junior Championship, finishing with two assists in six games. At last year's World U-18 tournament, he had one goal in six games.

Jones, who because of a late birthday won't be draft-eligible until next season, had five goals and 18 assists in 43 games with the USNTDP U-18 team this season. He had three assists in six games at last year's tournament.

Of the 22 players named to the team, 17 of them are eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, including four ranked in the top 50 in Central Scouting's mid-term ranking -- defensemen Trouba, Brady Skjei (No. 18) and Patrick Sieloff (No. 34), and Kerdiles, the lone forward. Goalie Collin Olson is No. 9 in Central Scouting's mid-term ranking of North American goaltenders.

One big name that won't be there is center Stefan Matteau, No. 13 on Central Scouting's mid-term ranking. Matteau was on the initial roster, but was ruled ineligible Friday by the IIHF because he has not played two consecutive seasons in the U.S. since his 10th birthday.

Matteau, the son of former NHL player Stephane Matteau, was born in Chicago and lived in the U.S. until he was 9 years old. He was living in Canada when he agreed to join the USNTDP in March 2010. However, he didn't play his first game for the team until September 2010.

Replacing Matteau on the roster is Anthony Louis, who had 26 goals and 40 points in 47 games with the USNTDP Under-17 team this season. He is eligible for the 2013 draft.

Beside Jones and Louis, the only other non-draft-eligible players selected for the team are defenseman Will Butcher, and forwards J.T. Compher and Ryan Hartman.

All but one of the players selected for the team play for the USNTDP U-18 or U-17 team. The only exception is forward Daniel O'Regan, who plays for St. Sebastian's in Needham, Mass.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK