Whitney, Gleason chosen

Updated: February 4, 2010, 3:48 PM ET

Ryan Whitney of the Anaheim Ducks and Tim Gleason of the Carolina Hurricanes are Olympics-bound.

"These are both players that were prominent in the original decisions as far as picking the teams," Team USA general manager Brian Burke said during a conference call.

The pair were chosen by Team USA's management team Thursday after the injury losses of New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek.

Whitney, 26, has 24 points (4-20) and a minus-7 rating in 57 games with the Ducks this season and is ranked second among U.S.-born defensemen in the NHL with an average of 24 minutes, 38 seconds of ice time per game.

"Ryan Whitney is a good-sized player with mobility and puck-moving skills," Burke said.

The Boston native played at the world junior hockey championships in 2002 and 2003.

Gleason, 27, has 15 points (5-10) and a minus-2 rating in 48 games with the Hurricanes this season. The native of Clawson, Mich., played for the U.S. at the 2008 men's world championship in Quebec City and the 2001 and 2003 world junior championships.

"Tim Gleason has a hard edge to his game and a physical presence that we think we're going to need in this tournament," Burke said.

Pierre LeBrun covers the NHL for ESPN.com.