Denver junior forward Troy Terry became the first Colorado-born and -trained hockey player to be selected to a United States Olympic hockey team when his selection was announced Monday by USA Hockey.

Terry, who played a key role in the Pioneers winning their eight national title in April and Team USA winning the 2017 World Junior Championship last January, is also the youngest member of this U.S. Olympic team, seven months younger than Boston University forward Jordan Greenway.

“Everyone watches the movie ‘Miracle’. It’s the first movie you see as a hockey kid, and it’s something you always want to do, play for your country” Terry said at a post-practice press conference Tuesday. “If you would have told me a year ago I had a chance to play at the Olympic level I wouldn’t have believed you. I know some people may be upset about the NHL players not going, but I’m thrilled.

“I get the opportunity to represent my country at the Olympics. I’m going there to represent myself, my family, my school here at Denver and my state.”

Troy Terry

Terry gained international notoriety a year ago when his shootout heroics lifted Team USA past Russia in the semifinals and host Canada in the gold-medal game of the World Juniors.

He had a team-high 45 points for DU last season, when the Pioneers defeated NCHC rival Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, to win the national championship in Chicago. He has 25 points this season, tied for ninth in Division I.

“Yes it’s a great honor for our program, but I’m really happy for Troy Terry. He’s worked very hard for this,” DU coach Jim Montgomery said. “It’s another feather in his cap.

“It also says a lot about the growth of grass-roots hockey in Colorado and how strong those programs are.”

The mid-February timing of the Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, means Terry could miss as few as four games for the Pioneers – series Feb. 16-17 vs. Colorado College and Feb. 23-24 at St. Cloud State. The gold-medal game in PyeongChang is scheduled for Feb. 25. The Pioneers close the regular season the following weekend with a home series vs. Miami.

Terry, who played youth hockey for the Littleton Hawks and Colorado Thunderbirds, and Greenway were two of four NCAA hockey players selected to the team, along with Harvard forward Ryan Donato and St. Cloud State defenseman Will Borgen. The selections of Terry and Greenway come as little surprise given their participation in an Olympic hockey summit in Utah last fall.

All four NCAA players are NHL draft picks. Terry was taken in the fifth round (148th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in 2015. Donato was a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2014, while Greenway (Minnesota Wild, second round) and Borgen (fourth round, Buffalo Sabres) also were drafted in 2015.

“There something about the Red, White and Blue, having that USA jersey on,” Terry said. “The Olympics are something the world stops to watch.

“Just to know I’m representing so many people, hopefully I get to watch some other sports, and I’ll be in the Olympic Village, it’s really cool.”

Terry is only the second active DU player to be chose for an Olympic team, joining forward Ronald Naslund, a Minnesota native, in 1972.

Three players with ties to DU or Denver also have been selected to U.S. Olympic teams, including one of Terry’s 2018 teammates, Chris Bourque, whose father Ray played for the Avalanche. Chris Bourque briefly played youth hockey for the Littleton Hawks.

John Grahame, the son of DU Athletic Director Ron Grahame, played for Team USA in 2006, and former Pioneer Paul Stasny was a member of the 2010 and 2014 Olympic teams, during an era when active NHL players were allowed to represent their countries.

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