11/22/01: Original McKenzie Story

11/22/01

Player Dismissed from the NTDP

While the Jimmy Howard news is pleasant, overall it's been a rough Thanksgiving week around Ann Arbor, as U.S. Under-18 Team forward Jim McKenzie has been asked by U.S. National Coach Mike Eaves to leave the program for a violation of team rules.

In addition, center Stephen Werner, a recent UMass-Amherst signee, has, for the same violation, been suspended from Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School for 1½ weeks, and will not be allowed to rejoin the team until right after the Christmas/New Year's break.

McKenzie was given the harsher punishment because this most recent incident represented the continuation of a behavioral pattern going back to last season. By the same token, Werner was treated more leniently because it was his first such incident.

McKenzie, a 6'2", 205 lb. RW from Woodbury, Minn., played for Hill Murray HS in 1999-200 before joining the NTDP at the beginning of last season. This season, in 19 games, he posted a 7-10-17 line with 23 pims. Right now, it's not clear what McKenzie will do next. He could choose to finish out his senior year at Pioneer HS and perhaps play for the Compuware Ambassadors (NAHL). He could also return home to Minnesota and play high school hockey, or sign on with a USHL team.

The NTDP receives its funding directly from USA Hockey and, as such, the 45-player program enjoys a high degree of visibility. Eaves and the rest of the staff therefore expect players to hew to team rules or face the consequences.

This is the first time in two years that a player has been asked to leave the program.