COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The U.S. National Team added
Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, Minnesota forward Adam Hall and
St. Louis goalie Jason Bacashihua to the roster for the world
hockey championships beginning April 27 in Moscow.
Hall is making his fifth straight appearance in the tournament,
Suter his third and Bacashihua his second.
Bacashihua was 1-1-0 with a .925 save percentage and 2.15
goals-against average in the 2006 world championships.
Bacashihua replaces Philadelphia goalie Robert Esche, a 2006
Olympian who withdrew for personal reasons after being selected
along with 17 other players on April 16.
Players already on the team include Carolina forward
Erik Cole
and goalie John Grahame, both 2006 Olympians, and Colorado rookie
Paul Stastny and Boston rookie Phil Kessel.
Kessel, Cole and Grahame were among the six players with
experience in the world championships. The others were Boston
defenseman Andrew Alberts, Phoenix defenseman Keith Ballard and
Washington forward Chris Clark.