USA Hockey today announced the 44 players invited to take part in the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp this summer in Lake Placid, N.Y. The players will be auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y.

Among the invitees are nine returnees from the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltenderJack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich.); defensemen Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and John Ramage (St. Louis, Mo.); and forwards Ryan Bourque (Boxford, Mass.), Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, N.Y.), Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass.), Jeremy Morin (Auburn, N.Y.), Kyle Palmieri (Montvale, N.J.) and Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev.).

Also attending the camp will be 14 members of the U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team that captured gold last April at the 2010 IIHF World Men's U18 Championship in Minsk and Bobruisk, Belarus, including goalie Campbell; defensemen Adam Clendening (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn.), Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn.), Stephen Johns (Wampum, Pa.), Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich.), and Jarred Tinordi (Millersville, Md.); and forwards Connor Brickley (Everett, Mass.), Matt Nieto (Long Beach, Calif.), Bryan Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Brandon Saad (Gibsonia, Pa.), Nick Shore (Denver, Colo.), Austin Watson (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Zucker.

"It will be a very competitive camp and give our staff a good opportunity to evaluate players as we start our preparations to defend the gold medal in Buffalo," said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations and general manager of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team. "We look forward to our return to Lake Placid and utilizing the Olympic Training Center and the Olympic Regional Development Authority facilities that do a great job in hosting our camp.”

For the full list of players invited to the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp, click here.

The camp, which will take place at Lake Placid's Olympic Center from July 30-Aug. 7, will feature practices, intra-squad scrimmages and international games featuring Finland, Sweden and the United States.

NOTES: Eighteen of the 44 invitees participated in last year's camp, while four will be returning for their third year including Ryan Bourque, Cam Fowler, Jeremy Morin and Kyle Palmieri... The 2011 U.S. National Junior Team will be selected in late December following a pre-tournament camp to be held in Buffalo, N.Y. ... Keith Allain, head men's ice hockey coach at Yale University, will serve as head coach of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team. Blais will be assisted by Mark Osiecki (Burnsville, Minn.), head men's ice hockey coach at The Ohio State University; Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) high school; and Joe Exter (Saline, Mich.), goaltender coach at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program ... Mark Carlson, head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, and Greg Brown, assistant men's ice hockey coach at Boston College, will also participate in Lake Placid as camp coaches ... Jim Johannson is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.), former U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team head coach and longtime Yale University men's ice hockey team head coach, is also serving his second straight year as Team USA's director of player personnel.

^ 2010 U.S. National Junior Team Member
* 2009 USA Hockey National Junior Team Evaluation Camp Invitee
& 2008 USA Hockey National Junior Team Evaluation Camp Invitee