Red, white and a bit green

During the NHL season, Erik Cole received a phone call from Jim Johannson, senior director of hockey operations for Colorado Springs-based USA Hockey.

Johannson wanted Cole to play for the U.S. men’s national team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship. Cole thrived on the 2006 Olympic team and was enjoying his most productive season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Before Johannson had a chance to ask Cole if he would play, Cole said, “Who is going? When do we leave?”

Johannson has assembled a national team that’s light on experience but heavy on enthusiasm for first-year coach Mike Sullivan, the former Boston Bruins coach and an assistant under Peter Laviolette at the 2006 Turin Games.

Team USA will open the IIHF World Championship against Austria today in a preliminaryround game in Moscow. Also in Team USA’s pool are Belarus and the Czech Republic, a silver medalist at the 2006 world championship and a bronze medalist in Turin.

Skepticism surrounds Team USA, partly because 15 of 23 players are 25 or younger. The group includes 19-yearolds Erik Johnson and Phil Kessel, 20-year-olds Nathan Davis and Jack Johnson and 21-year-old Paul Stastny, who recently finished his rookie season with the Colorado Avalanche.

Cole and goaltender John Grahame, a Denver native, are the only players who have competed in the Olympics. Grahame probably will be the No. 1 goaltender since Jason Bacashihua has replaced Robert Esche, who withdrew for personal reasons.

Team USA has two other players with Colorado connections: Avalanche forward Tyler Arnason and former Colorado College forward Toby Petersen, now with the Edmonton Oilers.

“We have a lot of young, upand-coming players that are enthusiastic to compete in this tournament,” Sullivan said. “The criteria is to put together the best team possible that’s going to help us win a gold medal. If that player is a young player, then he’s deserving of a spot on the team.”

Sullivan said youth could give the U.S. an advantage on an Olympic-size ice sheet, where puck possession is critical and players don’t have to create turnovers off pursuit as much as they do in the NHL.

Any advantage would aid Team USA, which hasn’t earned a medal in an international tournament since it took bronze at the 2004 world championship. The U.S. has won two gold medals in 54 world championship appearances, most recently in 1960 — 15 years before its oldest player (Grahame, 31) was born.

“I have an opportunity to perform on an international stage,” said Cole, who had career highs of 32 assists and 61 points this season. “I’m more excited than I’ve ever been. We had some disappointing outcomes the last couple of years, but I think we’ll be able to have a great performance.”

Said Jack Johnson: “I’m honored and proud to be able to put on that (USA) jersey again. I’m looking forward to being able to come out with a gold medal. I feel like this is my opportunity to make my mark on USA Hockey.”

Johannson said a young team won’t prevent the U.S. from preparing for the 2010 Vancouver Games.

“We’re always preparing for that,” he said. “We’re bringing exceptional hockey players to this tournament. They can help us win games over there. They’re going to get experience.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com