Each spring, after the glory of the boys' high school state tournament has faded just a little, USA Hockey releases its annual list of players invited to try out for the National Team Development Program's Under-17 team.

As the hotbed of amateur hockey in the United States, Minnesotans generally populate a significant portion of the tryout roster, along with players from Massachusetts and Michigan. Last season, nine players were invited to the tryout, with seven eventually making the team and accepting a place on the roster. 

The players invited last season ranked from a Bantam (Moorhead's Sam Laurila) to a sophomore in high school that had won a Class A state championship (Hermantown's Max Plante). This year's U-17 team features four Minnesotan defenders and three forwards.
Brendan McMorrow, John Whipple, Will Skahan, Logan Hensler, and Brodie Ziemer make up the rest of the Minnesota contingent on this year's U-17 team.  

The invited players are typically split into two teams for the duration of the tryout process. The players participate in on-ice practices, off-ice workouts, and scrimmage in the evenings. Along the way, the players will learn about the program and what it can offer them, should they be invited to the team and accept the offer.  

Here is a list of the 10 players we suspect will be invited and 10 others who we think will get heavy consideration by the scouts and braintrust at USA.