Former Wisconsin men's hockey All-American defenseman Tom Gilbert, who now plays for the Edmonton Oilers, has been named to the 2008 U.S. Men's National Team. The squad will compete at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, which will take place May 2-18 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Gilbert is among 17 players named to the team by USA Hockey on Wednesday. The rest of the team will be named as players taking part in the NHL playoffs are eliminated.
The Bloomington, Minnesota native, Gilbert ranked 10th in the NHL this past season in rookie scoring with 13 goals and 33 points. His 33 points were tied for second among league rookie defensemen, while his 13 goals paced all rookie defensemen in goals.
Gilbert set an Edmonton Oilers rookie record for defensemen with 13 goals, erasing NHL Hall of Famer Paul Coffey from the Oilers' recordbook with the performance.
At Wisconsin, Gilbert was a 2006 All-American and scored the game-winning goal in the Badgers' 2-1 triumph over Boston College for the 2006 NCAA title.