MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – Two members of the of the Gopher Hockey program are heading to the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship as Ryan Lindgren and assistant coach Grant Potulny continue a long tradition of Maroon & Gold representation at the tournament.
The University of Minnesota has now sent representatives to 39 of 41 World Junior Championships since the inaugural event in 1977.

Donning the Red, White & Blue is nothing new for Lindgren, who joined the Gophers this year after prepping with the U.S. National Team Development Program. A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Lindgren has competed in numerous international tournaments with USA Hockey – most recently serving as captain for the bronze-medal winning U.S. Men’s National Under-18 Team at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship. The defensemen also earned a gold medal at the 2015 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament and silver medals at the 2015 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament, the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament and the 2014 Under-17 Four Nations Tournament. A second round selection by the Boston Bruins in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Lindgren is in his first season with the Gophers and has three points (one goal, two assists) in 15 games this year.

Potulny is serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team for the second time after helping USA Hockey to a gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia. Now in his eighth season as an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota men’s ice hockey team, Potulny has helped the Gophers offense annually rank among the nation’s best while claiming five-straight regular-season conference titles, earning two NCAA Frozen Four berths and reaching the NCAA national championship game in 2014.

The 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Montreal and Toronto, Canada. The U.S. has been placed in Group B alongside Canada, Latvia, Russia and Slovakia. NHL Network is the exclusive U.S. TV home of the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship and will broadcast every U.S. game live during the tournament.

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