Cooper, Cates and Perbix named to USA Olympic hockey team
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OMAHA, Neb. -- Three athletes with ties to the Omaha area will be representing the USA next month at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Hockey players Brian Cooper, Noah Cates and Nicklaus Perbix were selected to Team USA yesterday, marking their first time representing the US at the Olympics.
Cooper, a defenseman, played four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and captained the team his senior season.
He finished his collegiate career with four goals and 20 assists in 101 games.
He was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2012 in the fifth round.
Cooper is currently playing hockey overseas and is an assistant captain with the IK Oskarshamn in the Swedish Hockey League.
Cates, a left winger, played junior hockey with the Omaha Lancers for three seasons before attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he is currently a senior. He captained the team his last two seasons.
Cates finished his career with the Lancers scoring 34 goals and 55 assists in 122 games played.
He won the NCAA National Championship with Minnesota-Duluth in 2019.
Cates was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fifth round of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Perbix, a defenseman, was a member of the Omaha Lancers for the 2017-2018 campaign notching four goals and 25 assists in 56 games.
He is currently in his senior year at St. Cloud State University.
Perbix was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft.