The U.S. will look to earn its third medal in four years at the event, which runs from Dec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013. Team USA captured the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask., and the bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.
A native of Chanhassen, Minn., Reilly leads all Gophers freshmen and ranks tied for second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association among rookie defensemen with 10 points (two goals, eight assists) this season.
With Reilly’s selection, the Gophers have now been represented at each IIHF World Junior Championship since 1992 (the only year since the event began in 1977 that the University of Minnesota has not been represented by a player or staff member).
Minnesota assistant coach Grant Potulny will also serve in the same capacity with the U.S. team this year under head coach Phil Housley.
Team USA opens this year’s tournament on Thursday, Dec. 27 vs. Germany. Game time is 8 p.m. local time (8 a.m. CT) with NHL Network broadcasting live and NHL.com streaming live. A complete schedule and roster is available at USAHockey.com.