Harris Names Men’s 2023 Junior Pan American Championship Roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – U.S. U-21 Men’s National Team Head Coach Pat Harris has named the 18-athlete roster that will compete in the men’s 2023 Junior Pan American Championship (JPAC). Taking place April 10 to 18 at the Wildey Hockey Centre located in the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in St. Michael, Barbados, the men’s and women’s event is a qualifier for the 2023 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup.

“After a positive weekend in Arizona, the coaching staff are pleased with the groups progress,” said Harris. “In order to perform well at the Junior Pan American Championship there is still a lot of work to be done, but we are confident the group we have selected for the tournament is willing to invest in the preparation necessary to be successful in a little over two months’ time.”

Seven athletes who represented USA at the 2021 edition of the JPAC were renamed to this squad. They are Gerald Cutone (Reading, Mass.), Brett Eisner (Lafayette, Calif.), Mehtab Grewal (Somis, Calif.), Wyatt Katz (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.), Tyler Kim (Arlington, Mass.), Tymen Kloen (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Michael Mendoza (Monument, Colo.). Of the selected, there is group of athletes that are on the senior U.S. Men’s National Team and a few who have already represented Team USA. Those looking to bring their experience to the junior level are Sekayi Charasika (Louisville, Ky.), Cutone (4), Grewal (3), Katz (3), Marius Leser (4)(Mannheim, Germany), Mendoza (4) and Amar Singh (Santa Clara, Calif.).

The goalkeepers for the tournament are Emil Collins (Christchurch, New Zealand) and Singh.

Leo Baumgardner (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Sekayi Charasika (Louisville, Ky.), Luca Civetta (Key Biscayne, Fla.), Emil Collins (Christchurch, New Zealand), Gerald Cutone (Reading, Mass.), Corey Dykema (Newport News, Va.), Brett Eisner (Lafayette, Calif.), Mehtab Grewal (Somis, Calif.), Gary Johal (Phoenix, Ariz.), Wyatt Katz (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.), Mees Kloen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Tymen Kloen (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Manny Langton (London, United Kingdom), Michael Mendoza (Monument, Colo.), Lasse Nobereit (Koenigstein, Germany), Shiven Patel (Los Altos, Calif.), Jasper Pouw (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.), Amar Singh (Santa Clara, Calif.)

The reserves are Rory Bleeker (Leiden, Netherlands) and Gavin Chung (Glen Ridge, N.J.).

Harris will lead the squad, and Jun Kentwell and Harry Singh will be coaches with Kathy Schiller as the team manager, Maddy Sposito as the video analyst and Dr. Jarret Welsh as the physiotherapist.

In 2021, for the second time in JPAC history, the U-22 USMNT brought home bronze after beating Canada in a shootout. Deadlocked at 1-1 following regulation, the shootout went down to the final person where USA capitalized on a foul and converted the penalty stroke for the win. Although USA missed out qualifying for the 2021 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup event directly, they were invited as the first reserve from the Pan American Hockey Federation region after Australia and New Zealand pulled out.

Pre-JPAC Preparation Camps will take place March 10 to 12 in Chula Vista, Calif. and April 1 and 2 in Charlotte, N.C., including scrimmages with the U.S. Women’s National Team. The squad will leave for Barbados on April 6 to get acclimated and train onsite prior to the start of the event.

The top three men’s teams at the JPAC will qualify for the 2023 FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, set for December 1 to 17 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For more information regarding the 2023 Junior Pan American Championship, visit usafieldhockey.com.

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