For John-Michael Liles, there was no dramatic phone call.

Instead, the former Spartans hockey standout heard the news a few days before the official announcement was scheduled to be made Dec. 19.

He was in New York with his NHL team, the Colorado Avalanche, who were planning to play the Islanders and the Rangers.

Team USA general manager Don Waddell called Pierre Lacroix, the Avalanche's general manager and president, who then notified Liles that he had been selected to represent the United States in hockey for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

"You dream about getting that call, hearing you made it," Liles said in a phone interview with The State News. "It feels like it hasn't really set in just yet. I'm just excited to get over there and represent my country."

Liles had to keep the news to himself — other than telling his family and a few friends — until the United States officially announced the Olympic roster.

He joins 11 other American-born players making their Olympic debuts from Feb. 15 to 26. While he knew he was a consideration for the team before hearing he made the squad, Liles was still unsure of which route the United States would take.

"You always hope you're going to get that call and you're going to be chosen," he said. "There's always that doubt in your mind that you never know exactly what's going to happen.

"There's so many directions that they could take. I'm very fortunate that I was one of the ones that was selected."

Aside from the 12 American-born first-time Olympians, 11 of the selected players have Olympic experience. Hockey veterans Mike Modano, Doug Weight, and Team USA captain Chris Chelios will round out a group of experienced world competitors.

From green and white to red, white and blue

Although he's considered small for a defenseman at 5 foot 10, Liles' smooth skating, powerful shot and brains made him an immediate fixture for then-MSU head coach Ron Mason in game situations.

Mason can still recall when he became sold on Liles' abilities when scouting him in his pre-college days with the United States National Team Development Program.

"I'll never forget the night we went over to Windsor, Ontario," Mason said. "It was a preseason game and I knew it'd be rough, and I wanted to see him play in that kind of environment."

Any doubts Mason had about Liles' skill level were put to rest based on the way the youngster performed against Windsor, a Canadian junior league team.

"He was outstanding," Mason said. "Anybody that thought he was soft or couldn't play in that environment — I thought was completely wrong.

"At that point, we made him our top recruit and he agreed to come to Michigan State."

Liles skated in 40 games his first year as a Spartan in 1999, tallying 28 points.

"He was running our power play as a freshman and that's highly unusual," Mason said.

Liles added 25 points in his sophomore campaign and followed that up with 35 points as a junior.

Rather than leave early for the professional level after Mason accepted the position as MSU's athletics director, Liles stuck around and had his best season of his college career under first-year head coach Rick Comley.

"I never thought he played out of panic or fear or worry because he always knew he could go faster (and) catch somebody," Comley said. "He had such great vision and good skills. He'd pass it over a stick, under a stick — he just could do anything the situation called for."

Liles finished his career at MSU in 2003 with 44 goals and 94 assists for 138 points. He ranks third all-time among MSU defensemen and his goals top every other MSU defenseman in school history.

Liles still comes back to East Lansing during the summers and remains in touch on a daily basis with his best friend and former teammate, Ryan Miller, as well as his former defense partner Brad Fast.

Making the cut

Liles said it was intimidating as he walked into the locker room the first day of training camp in 2003 as a 22-year-old. He was surrounded by a roomful of future Hall of Famers such as Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic and Rob Blake.

"You realize how great of players these guys are and what great guys they are and they just helped me in any way possible," Liles said. "From day one when I stepped in camp, Adam Foote was my defense partner.

"He helped tremendously and I'm very fortunate to play with Rob Blake for the better part of my two years in the NHL. Those are some of the best guys to learn from."

After he made the team following up his selection in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, it didn't take long for Liles to adjust to the NHL's style of play.

In only his third NHL game, Liles scored his first goal against the Minnesota Wild.

"I wasn't surprised that he was good enough to play there," Mason said of Liles' immediate spot in the NHL. "He's one of the best skaters in the National Hockey League. His ability to see the ice and make plays you can't teach."

In his rookie year, Liles scored 10 goals and recorded 34 total points — a scoring accomplishment that led all rookie defensemen and earned him a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team.

"The biggest adjustment going from college to the pros is just knowing where you have to be ahead of time," he said. "It's just the ability to read plays and the smarts and obviously the quickness."

From the lockout to the NHL's return

After returning to the ice following a broken foot he suffered in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, Liles joined former Spartans Mike York and Bryan Adams with the Iserlohn Roosters in the German Elite League for the second half of the NHL lockout.

Liles played 17 games for the Roosters and recorded 11 points.

"I think it helped me stay in shape and stay in kind of the hockey mentality," Liles said of his time in Europe.

Upon the NHL's return from the lockout, Liles re-joined the Avalanche and his 11 goals and 28 assists, as of Feb. 11, have already bettered his rookie totals. His 39 total points place him 12 in the league among NHL blueliners.

He wears No. 26 for the Avalanche, which is one number more than his age, and he's been considered one of the best young defenseman in the world.

"The way the game's played today, especially in the Olympic level on the big ice sheet, you need people that can skate well and handle the puck well," Mason said. "That's his forte."

As for things happening so fast in his NHL career, it's something that Liles modestly addresses.

"I've been very fortunate, very blessed that I've been able to achieve the successes I've been able to achieve," he said. "It's not something that I really think about, that all this stuff is happening so quickly — I'm just kind of hoping that it continues to happen."

Eric Fish can be reached at fisheric@msu.edu.