Just curious but who on the US roster played below high school level hockey?
A number of players on the US team played at the Midget Major (U18) and Midget Minor (U16) levels last year. That said, some of those teams are still as strong as some of the weaker high school teams that other players on the team played at. Here's a break down of where each played...
Gillies - USHL
Petersen - U18
Brady - USHL
Doherty - Shattuck-St. Mary's (Strong U18 schedule)
Hanson - WHL
Lowney - U18
Pesce - U16
Slavin - U16
Wade - USHL
Cox - U18
Galchenyuk - OHL
Hinostroza - USHL
Johnson - North Dakota High School
Kurker - U18 (Boston Little Bruins) and Massachusetts High School
Lappin - U18
Masters - USHL
Nanne - Minnesota High School
Nieves - New England Prep School
O'Regan - New England Prep School
Payne - OHL
Schilkey - U18
Silk - USHL (NTDP)
You can't really compare this team to Canada. However, many of the other teams in the tournament are composed of players who've played at the U18 level for the most part. Comparable US teams have managed to be competitive in the tournament.
Most of the players on this US team will be in the USHL this coming season.