Inver Grove Heights' LaShomb makes Team USA U18 Squad

When the invitations went out to tryouts for USA Hockey's U18 women's team, Sam LaShomb wasn't exactly on the top of the list. In fact she was not even on the list period.

“I was an alternate to national camp, but I made it to the all-star game and from there I didn't know [what to expect],” LaShomb said.

The fact that she was an alternate meant LaShomb started that camp in St. Cloud in June at or near the bottom of the pecking order among the 80-some players hoping to get invited to tryouts in August. The fact that she made the all-star game at that camp meant she impressed a lot of the right people in a relatively short time.

“I was just excited to be on the team,” she said.

But making the cut at that camp was just the first half of the battle. Earlier this month, LaShomb, a senior at South St. Paul High School but an Inver Grove Heights resident, wound up winning the war. One of just 28 players invited to training camp in Blaine, she found out last week that she'd made Team USA.

“It's really cool,” LaShomb said. “When I was little I dreamed of playing in the Olympics, and now to be playing with the top players…I never thought I would be here.”

LaShomb got to spend two weeks playing with and against the top women's hockey players in the U.S. She found out she'd earned a spot in their ranks via an announcement in the locker room.

“The first thing I did is give somebody a big hug,” LaShomb said.

Her size—she's 5' 8"—is just one thing her Team USA coach liked about her.

“Sam, she really wants to join the rush, so she's a bit more of an offensive defenseman,” said Heather Linstad, head coach of the U.S. U18 team. “She's got good size, she takes up a lot of space and she's good at taking people out from in front of the net.”

LaShomb and her new team was in Rockland, Ont., last week for a three-game series with its Canadian counterpart, a series Canada won 2-1.