Ryan Suter Named to Team USA Olympic Team

Ryan Suter was named to the Team USA Olympic team shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Classic this afternoon.

Suter is the eighth player from the Nashville Predator organization to be named to play for their national team.

Suter joins Shea Weber (Canada), Marty Erat (Czech Republic), Patric Hornqvist (Sweden), Marcel Goc (Germany), Alexander Sulzer (Germany), Roman Josi (Switzerland), and the excommunicated Alexander Radulov (Russia) as Olympic participants.

Pekka Rinne (Finland) was a notable omission that could have also played but missed out on being named.

Suter represented Team USA in the World Junior Championships three times and won a gold medal in 2004. He has also represented the United States four times at the World Championships.

Ryan Suter's father, Bob, was a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic Team.

More Later...

Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass

----------------------------------------------------

Here is the Press Release from the Predators in its entirety.

PREDATORS DEFENSEMAN RYAN SUTER NAMED TO U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM
RAISES PREDATORS 2010 OLYMPIC CONTINGENT TO SIX

Nashville, Tenn. (January 1, 2010) – When the United States became the last of the 12 competing nations to announce its Olympic roster on Friday, Predators defenseman Ryan Suter was included on the squad, joining Shea Weber (Canada), Martin Erat (Czech Republic), Alexander Sulzer (Germany), Marcel Goc (Germany) and Patric Hornqvist (Sweden) as Predators who will be heading to Vancouver in February.

Suter is tied for 13th among League defensemen in assists (18), and is tied for 18th among all skaters in average ice time (24:08). He has nine assists in his last 14 games, and ranked second among NHL blueliners in plus/minus rating during the month of December (+9). This is the Madison, Wis., native’s first Olympics, but eighth time representing the U.S. in international play – he’s played in three World Junior Championships and four World Championships. In 2004, he helped the Red, White and Blue to their first-ever gold medal at the world junior tournament.

Five of the six players were drafted by Nashville. Suter (seventh overall), Weber (49th overall) and Sulzer (92nd overall) were all tabbed in the 2003 Entry Draft held in Nashville. Drafted 230th overall in 2005, Hornqvist is one of just nine players selected with the final pick of an entry draft (41 total) to appear in the NHL. Of those nine, he ranks third in goals (15) and fourth in points (28). Selected 191st overall in the 1999 Entry Draft, Erat is second on the franchise’s all-time goals (116) and points (330) lists.

Others within the organization named to their respective countries’ Olympic Teams include Roman Josi (Switzerland) – who will be one of just two players (along with teammate Luca Sbisa) to play in both the 2010 World Junior Championships and 2010 Olympics – and Alexander Radulov (Russia).

The Predators open a four-game homestand tomorrow night when they host the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m.). Nashville will play Calgary on Tuesday, Carolina on Thursday, and Anaheim again a week from tomorrow (Jan. 9). Tickets to these games, and all other regular season contests, are now on sale and can be purchased by logging onto nashvillepredators.com. Tickets are also available by calling (615) 770-PUCK and at all Ticketmaster locations.