As the NHL lockout continues, there's still exciting hockey to watch on the world juniors level and one local standout, in particular, to keep your eyes on.
Ryan Hartman, a 5-foot-11, 187-pound forward from West Dundee, is a member of the USA Juniors U-20 Hockey team. The 18-year-old wears jersey #21 for the USA team.
Hartman and the USA team beat Canada by a score of 5-1 on Thursday, Jan. 3, and will face Sweden for the gold medal in the U-20 World Hockey Championship game on Saturday, Jan. 5, in Ufa, Russia.
The games have been broadcast on the NHL network.
The son of Craig and Kimberly Hartman, Ryan played youth hockey for the Schaumburg Kings and Crystal Lake Leafs, eventually moving on to play Youth-AAA division for Team Illinois and Chicago Mission in Addison, according to a story in the Daily Herald.
Hartman played 55 games with the U.S. Under-18 National Team Development program last year, where he scored 15 goals, had 38 points and accumulated 116 penalty minutes, according to NHL.com. In the six games at the U-18 World Hockey Championships, he delivered two goals and six points, the NHL.com article states.
Two years ago, Hartman, along with his mother and younger brother, moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., where he participated in the USA Hockey's national development program, according to the Elgin Courier News.
His father, Craig, a former coach for the Leafs, stayed behind in West Dundee and commuted to Michigan on weekends. Ryan Hartman currently plays for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League, according to the Courier News.
these kids have been flying around the ice. Good Luck, Hartman!