The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) represents the United States in the IIHF World U18 Championship. Additionally the team plays domestically against opponents in the United States Hockey League (under-17 and under-18 teams), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (under-18 team), and other international tournaments. The program was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under-18. Both teams are based in Plymouth, Michigan.
The stated goal of the NTDP is "to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on the U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers. Its efforts focus not only on high-caliber participation on the ice, but creating well-rounded individuals off the ice". While enrolled in the NTDP, players stay with billet families.
From its founding until 2014âÂÂ15, the program was based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, playing games at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. However, following that season, the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL relocated, freeing up the what was then known as the Compuware Arena. USA Hockey purchased the facility from Peter Karmanos, renamed it the USA Hockey Arena and moved the NTDP to Plymouth.
The under-17 and under-18 teams play games domestically against opponents in the United States Hockey League (under-17 and under-18 teams) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (under-18 team), as well as three international tournaments for each team plus occasional friendlies. The NTDP teams previously competed in the North American Hockey League until 2009.
The NTDP became part of the annual CHL/USA Prospects Challenge in 2024, a two-game series versus the Canadian Hockey League to showcase the talents of top prospects for the upcoming entry draft of the National Hockey League.
The United States has won 11 gold medals in IIHF World U18 Championship.
Team USA most recently won the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2025, its second championship.
Since 1999, and through the 2025 NHL draft, 432 NTDP alumni have been drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL) including 103 first round picks. This includes Rick DiPietro, Erik Johnson, Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews, and Jack Hughes, all of whom were drafted first overall in the NHL entry draft. At the 2007 NHL entry draft, NTDP alumni Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk were selected first and second overall respectively, the first American-born players selected with the top two picks. Seventeen players were selected from the NTDP in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, 17 of the 25 players on the United States men's roster were NTDP alumni. The team defeated Canada 2âÂÂ1 in overtime to win the program's first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team, with the game winning overtime goal from NTDP alumnus Jack Hughes.