Two former University of Maine men’s hockey All-Americans will be part of the United States team that participates in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships May 5-21 at Cologne, Germany, and Paris.
Goaltender Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings is one of 15 players on the initial roster and former Black Bears defenseman and New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano is an assistant coach.
Detroit’s Jeff Blashill is the head coach.
Team USA opens pool play against Germany in Cologne on May 5.
Howard is coming off an injury-marred season but one in which he posted the best goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.927) of his eight-year, 401-game National Hockey League career.
A knee injury limited him to only 26 games and the Red Wings missed the playoffs for the first time in 26 seasons.
Howard, who owns a home on Green Lake in Dedham with wife Rachel and sons James IV and Henry, was a member of the 2014 United States Olympic team.
The other goalies selected were former UMass Lowell goalie Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Cal Petersen, who was a junior at the University of Notre Dame and led the Fighting Irish to a berth in the Frozen Four.
Bangor resident Capuano posted a record of 227-192-64 with the Islanders before being fired in January, midway through his seventh season.
He led the Islanders to three playoff appearances in his last four seasons. Last year, they won their first playoff series in 23 years by ousting the Florida Panthers in six games.
His 483 games and 227 wins are second-most in franchise history behind four-time Stanley Cup-winning coach and Hall-of-Famer Al Arbour.
Team USA finished fourth in the World Championships in Russia last year with the youngest team in the tourney.