Jimmy Howard, Justin Abdelkader To Play For Team USA At World Championships

A day after the U.S. Men's National Under-18 team clinched their fourth consecutive gold medal, the older squad received some good news for their chances at the World Championships next month:

Team USA gets major boost: Jimmy Howard will play at World Championships. Justin Abdelkader also in. Best U.S. roster I can recall in years.

— Kevin Allen (@kausatoday) April 23, 2012

Howard led the 2002 U18 team to a Gold in Slovakia, earning himself Goaltender of the Year honors. He turned down an opportunity to play for USA in 2010 due to a hamstring injury.

In addition to Howard and Abdelkader, there are several Michigan connections on the team, including Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills), Jeff Petry (Ann Arbor), Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor), Nathan Gerbe (Oxford) and Jim Slater (Lapeer).

The tournament starts May 4.

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