Former Los Angeles Jr. King Dustin Wolf was one of 21 players named to the 2018 U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team that will compete in the upcoming Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which will run from Aug. 6-11 in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta.
A 2001-born goaltender, Wolf was chosen after his strong performance at the recent USA Hockey Boys Select 17 Player Development Camp, which concluded today (July 2) in Amherst, N.Y., with its annual all-star game and Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster selection.
In 20 regular-season appearances last year as a rookie with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Everett Silvertips, Wolf fashioned a 13-6 record, including four shutouts, to compliment a 2.25 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. He also appeared in one playoff game.
Wolf, who backstopped the Jr. Kings’ Bantam Major team to a Pacific District championship in 2015-16, was named both the WHL and Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Oct. 29.
Newly rebranded as the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the tournament is an annual event held each August for national under-18 teams from around the world. It’s one of the only true best-on-best international competitions for this NHL draft-eligible age group and represents the first major event on the scouting calendar each season for NHL talent evaluators.
The competition will include teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
