Francisco & Marthaler Excited & Honored to Play for U.S. Youth Olympic Team

The first game for Francisco and Marthaler will be on January 27th against Slovakia.

DULUTH, Minn.- Hermantown sophomore defenseman A.J. Francisco and Superior sophomore defenseman Jackson Marthaler will be away from their teams for the next couple of weeks.

And it’s for a good reason as they’ll both be preparing for a once in a lifetime experience.

Francisco and Marthaler will hop on a plane later this week and head to South Korea to play for the U.S. Youth Olympic Team.

They are two of 17 players on the roster for the red, white, and blue.

Francisco, who has 14 points so far this season for the Hawks, says it’ll be different playing in another country.

But, overall he says he’s excited and honored to get the chance.

“It’s obviously a huge honor. Any chance you get to represent the United States. Kind of putting it in perspective, it’s a Olympic event and the Youth Olympics it’s only every four years. It’s a pretty cool experience and I’m pretty excited for it,” said Francisco.

As for Marthaler, going for gold is the number one thing on his mind.

“I really just hope to establish myself as a player in the U.S. Get my name out there I guess you could say. Going for gold is number one for me. It’s a big thing for the team. Big thing for the U.S.,” added Marthaler.

The first game for Francisco and Marthaler will be on January 27th against Slovakia.