Saints Forward Called Up By Team USA For World Junior A Challenge

More exciting news from your Dubuque Fighting Saints as they add a player to the upcoming Team USA World Junior A challenge squad.

We recently learned that Associate Head Coach Evan Dixon had been named to the Team USA World Junior A challenge coaching staff by USA Hockey. Dixon is in his fourth year with the Saints and will join Team USA as an assistant coach for this December's World Junior A Challenge. It will be Dixon’s first time representing his home country on the international stage.

And now, according to a press release from the Dubuque Fighting Saints, he will be taking along with him this year's stand out performer and Saints top point getter so far for the 22-23 season; Forward, Ryan St. Louis. St. Louis, joined the Fighting Saints this summer after one season at Northeastern in the NCAA, and currently leads the Saints with points, 16, and assists, 11. Those numbers are some of the best in the USHL where St. Louis ranks tied for eighth in points and tied for fourth in assists.

"We're really excited for Ryan, he's earned this opportunity. We're really excited for him and Evan (Saints Associate Head Coach) to be there and we'll be cheering them on from back here in Dubuque. He's been great for us all year - power play, penalty kill, five on five. He's been great from a leadership standpoint. For them, I think he was a no brainer. In a short tournament like that, he picks up the systems really well too."

-Fighting Saints head coach Kirk MacDonald. 

St. Louis has been an all-situations player for Coach MacDonald and his staff, earning significant power play time and penalty kill time. His five power play assists is tied for the team lead and ranks him in the top 10 in the United States Hockey League.

This tournament will not be St. Louis' first time representing Team USA. He was a member of the 2019 U17 World Hockey Championships and at the 2020 U18 World Championships. In addition, he has two years of experience playing for the U.S. National Development Team Program.

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The World Junior A Challenge is similar to the World Junior Championships but is represented by a different pool of players. There are a total of five teams and four countries represented at the World Junior A Challenge each year with Canada, who features two teams (East and West) and the United States. Both teams are tournament mainstays. The American teams are primarily comprised of USHL players, while the Canadian teams are composed of Junior A players (AJHL, MJHL, SJHL, CCHL, etc.).

This years World Junior A Challenge is held in Cornwall, Ontario and takes place from December 11th to the 18th. For more information on the Dubuque Fighting Saints visit dubuquefightingsaints.com.

Check out this interview with Dubuque Fighting Saints President of Business Operations; Robert Miller