LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The Winter World University Games are approaching as Team USA selected its 2023 roster. From the Adrian College NCAA men's hockey team, Jaden Shields, Zachary Heintz, and Sam Ruffin were selected to Team USA and will compete in the two-week tournament starting January 11, 2023.
 
The initial roster is made up of players all currently playing at D-III schools with eight conferences represented. There are 12 players from the east and 11 players from the west with the NCHA having seven players on the team. Joining the three Bulldogs from the NCHA are Brendan Mark (St. Norbert), Michael McChesney (St. Nortbert), Jack Jaunich (Aurora), and Matt Hanewall (MSOE).
 
The team will be coached by Mark Taylor of Hobart College who ranks No. 1 in the country in the latest poll with all 20 first-place votes.
 
The tournament will begin with pool play where Team USA will face five countries at Clarkson University at Cheel Rink. Team USA will begin pool play against Great Britain on January 11 followed by Korea on January 14, Slovakia on January 15 and Kazakhstan and Hungary on the 18^th and 19^th.
 
The top-two teams out of each pool will advance to Lake Placid, New York for the semifinals and championship. The other pool consists of Canada, Japan, Sweden, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Latvia.
 
Shields, Heintz, and Ruffin are no stranger to Lake Placid and the Herb Brooks Arena with the arena playing host to the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championship.
 
So far this season, Ruffin holds 15 points on the year with three goals and 12 assists. Shields has eight points this season with a pair of goals and six assists while Heintz has eight points with eight assists.
 
Semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, January 21 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid with the winners advancing to the medal round games on Sunday, January 22.
The gold medal game will be broadcast live on ESPN.