Ducks prospects Emerson Etem and Kyle Palmieri were among 29 players named to the preliminary U.S. National Junior Team roster Tuesday.
Etem, a Long Beach native, leads the Western Hockey League with four short-handed goals. He has 18 goals (eighth in the league) and 31 points in 28 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers, as well as a team-high plus-21 rating. The 19-year-old was drafted 29th overall by the Ducks in the most recent Entry Draft. Etem led all WHL rookies in 2009-10 with 37 goals.
Palmieri represented Team USA at last year’s WJCs, too. He made the leap from the University of Notre Dame to the professional ranks this season and made his NHL debut Nov. 3. The 19-year-old right wing scored his first goal that night for the Ducks but was returned to Syracuse of the American Hockey League after going scoreless in his next nine games. Palmieri has nine goals and 13 points in 17 games for the Crunch this season.
Both Etem and Palmieri were drafted with picks the Ducks acquired via the Chris Pronger trade.
The 2011 U.S.
National Junior Team will compete at the IIHF World Junior Championship from Dec. 26, 2010 to January 5,
2011, in Buffalo and Niagara, NY.