Brickley named to U.S. team

It's been quite a week for Minnesota State defenseman Daniel Brickley.

Last week, he was named a college hockey All-American, and a few days later, he was asked to put on an American jersey.

Brickley was one of 15 players named Thursday to the initial roster of United States men's national team that will compete in next month's International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Germany and France.

"It's an honor," Brickley said, "not just to put the jersey on but to represent my country. I hope to represent it really well and come home a winner."

Brickley, a Sandy, Utah, native, is one of three college players on the roster. The others are Notre Dame goaltender Cal Petersen and Boston University forward Jordan Greenway. The rest of the roster is made up of National Hockey League players.

Brickley said he was surprised by both honors. On Friday, he was named Second Team West All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association. That followed a sophomore season in which he was the top-scoring defenseman in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 31 points, including a team-leading 23 assists, and was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.

He said he received the invitation from USA Hockey assistant executive director of hockey operations Jim Johannson a few days before Thursday's announcement.

"Yeah, I was very surprised," Brickley said. "I didn't think anything about it, but I was glad to have the opportunity to go. ... It's pretty exciting news."

Brickley will leave for the World Championships on April 29. Team USA will play an exhibition game against Italy in Milan, Italy on May 2 and begin tournament play May 5 against Germany in Cologne, Germany. The championships run through May 21.

Brickely will become the third Minnesota State player to play in the World Championships. The others were David Backes and Ryan Carter, who played in a combined five championships.