GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In a proud development for both the Grand Rapids Sled Wings and the Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation, 18-year-old Jenison resident Tyler Anderson on Wednesday was named to the 2009-10 U.S. National Junior Sled Hockey Team.

Anderson has played the last eight years for the Sled Wings, a talented team of kids and teenagers with physical disabilities that is sponsored by the Griffins Youth Foundation, in partnership with Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

USA Hockey today named 15 players to the squad, which is designed to hone the skills of the best young American sled hockey players as they strive to earn a spot on future U.S. National Sled Hockey Teams. Throughout the coming year, the U.S. National Junior Sled Hockey Team will compete in the Western Sled Hockey League while participating in developmental camps in conjunction with the 2009-10 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.

The lone new face on the team, Anderson joins 14 returning members from last year’s squad. The players were selected following the USA Hockey Player Development Camp, held in Rochester, N.Y., from June 26-July 1.

Named the Sled Wings’ 2008-09 most valuable player, Anderson is an avid athlete whose skills extend to other sports, as he’s played for both the Grand Rapids Junior Pacers wheelchair basketball team and the Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association’s tennis team. The 2009 graduate of Jenison High School will attend Grand Rapids Community College in the fall.

“Tyler’s selection is a great representation of our foundation and the Sled Wings,” said Bob Kaser, foundation president and Griffins vice president of community relations and broadcasting. “Not just the fact that Tyler is amazingly skilled at what he does – and you admire him for that and how hard he has worked to get to the level he is at – but he is also such an awesome young man. He is just a well-rounded, great ambassador for the program and for the youth foundation.”

The Sled Wings, who became the first junior-level sled hockey team in Michigan upon their founding in 2001, are gaining a national reputation after winning a pair of tournaments during their 2008-09 season. They also play a popular sled hockey exhibition game against the Grand Rapids Griffins each winter at Griff’s IceHouse that raises money to help offset some of the Sled Wings’ expenses.

More information on the U.S. National Junior Sled Hockey Team is available at usahockey.com.