The Ducks announced on Thursday that defenseman Ryan Whitney has been named to Team USA’s squad for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia from Feb. 12-28. His addition brings the club’s total to nine Olympians participating in the 2010 Games, the most in the NHL. Eight of those nine players (prospect Luca Sbisa is playing for Portland of the Western Hockey League) are on the current Ducks roster, which equals the most in the NHL (San Jose also has eight).

Whitney joins teammates Bobby Ryan (USA), Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (Canada), Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne (Finland), Jonas Hiller and Sbisa (Switzerland). Ryan and Whitney become the second and third Ducks selected to Team USA in franchise history and could be the first to appear in a game. Former Ducks goaltender Guy Hebert was named to the 1998 Team USA Olympic squad, but did not play.

“It’s a great honor for Ryan to be named to Team USA,” said Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray. “We wish him best of luck at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.”

Whitney, 26 (2/19/83), will make his first Olympic appearance and will represent Team USA in international competition for the fourth time in his career. The Boston, Massachusetts native competed in both the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships. In 2003, he scored 1-4=5 points in seven contests. Whitney also represented the United States at the World U-18 Championships in 2001, scoring 0-1=1 point with eight penalty minutes (PIM) in his international debut. In total, the 6-3, 210-pound blueliner has collected 2-7=9 points in 20 career games for Team USA.

Selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Whitney was acquired by Anaheim from the Penguins in exchange for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi on Feb. 26, 2009. He has scored 4-20=24 points in 57 games this season. In 330 career NHL games, he has scored 38-146=184 points. Whitney has also appeared in 20 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, collecting 0-10=10 assists. In 2008, he helped Pittsburgh to a Stanley Cup Final appearance, eventually falling to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games.