USA Hockey Release
TROY, N.Y. – USA Hockey has announced its invitees to the 2011 Women's Winter Training Camp and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete
Jordan Smelker is among the 41 individuals selected to participate at this year's camp, which runs from December 26-31 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.
The six-day camp will serve as an evaluation camp and training session for the U.S. Women's National Team. Smelker, a left winger out of Anchorage, Alaska, will compete for one of two teams that will be selected upon arrival. This is the second USA Hockey event for the sophomore, who was invited to the U.S. Select Camp in August.
Smelker has played in all 20 games this season for the Engineers and currently leads the squad in scoring with six goals and a team-best 10 assists for 16 points. Among her goals are two power play markers. She has played in all eight ECAC Hockey games, contributing a goal and three assists during that span.
The former Team Alaska 19U standout has been a consistent offensive presence for Rensselaer this season, having recorded a point or more in 10 games. Additionally, she has notched a point in six of her last seven games. Among her top games was a 5-0 shutout victory at Yale where she scored a goal and assisted on two others. She also posted a goal and an assist in a two-game series against Wisconsin, the nation's top-ranked team.
Last season, Smelker appeared in all 35 games for the Engineers, leading all freshmen and finishing second overall in scoring with 20 points on 10 goals and 10 assists. She also led the team in power play goals (4) and added a game-tying and a game-winning marker.
Smelker closed out the 2010-11 season ranked 24th-nationally in points per game by a rookie (0.57) and eighth among ECAC Hockey freshmen. Additionally, she notched at least one point in 14 games, including three multiple point contests.
Of the 41 players at this winter's camp, 21 were a part of the U.S. Squad which recently captured the 2011 Four Nations Cup championship in Nykoping, Sweden. Sixteen of the players Smelker will compete with were members of the silver medal-winning 2010 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team.
Rensselaer is 4-12-4 this season with a 1-5-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Engineers return to the ice on January 6 and 7 when they host Colgate and Cornell, respectively at the Houston Field House. Both games begin at 3pm.
