RED WINGS DEREK LALONDE NAMED ASSISTANT COACH FOR 2023 MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM

Derek Lalonde (Brasher Falls, N.Y./Detroit Red Wings), Scott Gordon (Easton, Mass./San Jose Sharks) and Ryan Warsofsky (North Marshfield, Mass./San Jose Sharks) have been named assistant coaches, Thomas Speer (Janesville, Wis./San Jose Sharks) goaltending coach and Mike King (Center Conway, N.H./Ottawa Senators) and Nick Gialdini (San Jose, Calif./San Jose Sharks) video coaches for the 2023 U.S. Men’s National Team it was announced today by USA Hockey.

Team USA will compete in the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship May 12-28 in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia, with David Quinn previously announced as the squad’s head coach.

“We’ve got a terrific staff overall,” said Chris Clark, general manager of the 2023 U.S. Men’s National Team and also the assistant general manager of the NHL’s Columbus Blue jackets. “The group brings varied experiences which will all contribute to our ultimate goal of bringing home a gold medal.”

DEREK LALONDE
Lalonde, in his first season as head coach of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, will be part of the coaching staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team for first time. Lalonde has been involved with U.S. teams on the international stage on two other occasions, helping the U.S. Junior Select Team to championships in the World Junior A Challenge in 2013 as head coach and as assistant coach in 2012.

Lalonde arrived in Detroit after spending four seasons (2018-22) as an assistant coach for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning where he helped Tampa Bay earn Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021.

The Brasher Falls, New York, native served as an assistant coach in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey first with Ferris State from 2002-2006 and then at the University of Denver from 2006-2011. He moved on to serve as head coach and general manager for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers from 2011-14 where he recorded an overall record of 114-56-8-6 and was named the USHL Coach of the Year in 2012 after helping the Gamblers earn the Clark Cup title.

Lalonde spent two seasons (2014-16) as the head coach of the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL and earned the John Brophy Award as the league’s coach of the year in his first campaign.

From 2016-18 he was the head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild before moving to Tampa.

Lalonde’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant men’s ice hockey coach at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (formerly North Adams State) from 1995-98. He then started a two-year stint as an assistant men’s ice hockey coach at Lebanon Valley College following by two seasons as an assistant men’s ice hockey coach at Hamilton College.

SCOTT GORDON
Gordon, with more than 25 years of coaching experience, is in his first season as an assistant coach with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.

The Easton, Mass., native is no stranger to international hockey, having served as head coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team on three occasions (2010, 2011, 2012) and as assistant coach once (2009). Gordon also was an assistant coach for the silver medal-winning 2010 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team and for Team USA in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Before joining the Sharks, Gordon served for six seasons as head coach at Lehigh Valley of the AHL where he compiled a 186-121-40 regular-season record. Gordon’s career has also included stops as an assistant coach for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs (2011-14) and as head coach of the NHL’s New York Islanders (2008-10).

In 2007-08, Gordon led the Providence Bruins of the AHL to a league-best 55-18-3 record and earned the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL Coach of the Year. After spending two full seasons (2000-02) as an assistant coach at Providence, Gordon was promoted to head coach in his third season for the final nine games of the 2002-03 regular season and playoffs. In his five campaigns at the helm in Providence, the team compiled a 221-141-20-27 record (W-L-T-OT/SOL).

Gordon began his coaching career with the International Hockey League’s Atlanta Knights from 1994-96, and then spent two seasons (1996-98) with the IHL’s Quebec Rafales. His next move came in 1998-99, when he was named the head coach of the Roanoke Express of the East Coast Hockey League.

RYAN WARSOFSKY
Warsofsky is in his first season as assistant coach with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and is making his first appearance on the staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team.

Prior to joining the Sharks, Warsofsky spent two seasons as the head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, and in 2022, at age 34, became the youngest coach since Peter Laviolette in 1999 to guide a team to the Calder Cup. Warsofsky also spent two seasons (2018-20) with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and helped the team earn the Calder Cup in 2019.

Warsofsky got his coaching start as an assistant men’s hockey coach with NCAA Division III Curry College in 2012-13 and then spent five seasons (2013-18) with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, serving the first three campaigns as assistant coach and his final two seasons as head coach and director of hockey operations.

MIKE KING
King will be part of the coaching staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team for the third straight year. He has spent the last four seasons as the video coach for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and previous to that served as video coach for the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Prior to joining the Bears, King spent
two seasons as a skills and development coach with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves.

NICK GIALDINI
Gialdini is serving for the first time as a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team coaching staff. He is in his first season as video coach for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. Previously, Gaildini spent six campaigns with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL as video coach and in hockey operations. Gialdini also served as a head coach at various youth hockey levels for the San Jose Jr. Sharks for nine seasons.

SUPPORT STAFF NAMED
USA Hockey also announced the following support staff for the 2022 U.S. Men’s National Team, including team services Madison Brown (Niagara Falls, N.Y./USA Hockey); athletic trainers Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla./USA Hockey) and Chris Strickland (Longview, Texas/Columbus Blue Jackets); equipment managers Jamie Healy (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus Blue Jackets), Scott Aldrich (Hancock, Mich./USA Hockey); team physician Dr. Charles Popkin (Medina, Minn./USA Hockey); massage therapist Jari Jaaskelainen (Tampere, Finland/USA Hockey); content coordinator Taylor Swierc (Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey); media officer Dave Fischer(Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey) and team host Risto Talvio (Eurajoki, Finland).

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U.S. Golden at 2022 Winter Paralympics

BEIJING – Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) tallied two goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal, and Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif.) posted a 16 save shutout as the 2022 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team defeated Canada 5-0 here today in the goal medal game of the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

“I’m just so incredibly proud of this team,” said David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), head coach of the 2022 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. “We went out there, played our game and accomplished what we wanted to accomplish and there’s no better feeling than that. I’m just so proud of this team and what we’ve been able to accomplish together.”

It was the fourth straight Paralympic gold for the U.S. in sled hockey.

Both teams matched each other’s play in the opening minutes of the game before Farmer put the first shot on goal from the slot by either team 4:36 in. Canada put its first shot on minutes later, followed by a breakaway opportunity but Lee came up with a big save to keep it tied.

Shorthanded and in the defensive zone, Farmer forced a turnover which created a 2-on-0 opportunity. Farmer went coast-to-coast and kept the puck and went short side to put Team USA ahead 9:08 in.

Still shorthanded and 0:25 later, Brody Roybal (Northlake, Ill.) intercepted a pass in the offensive zone from Canada’s starting netminder Dominic Larocque. The pass shot in the air and Roybal tracked it throughout before it was on his stick and went backhand to put the U.S. up 2-0 with 5:27 left in the frame. Canada nearly cut the lead in half with 2:40 left, but Lee came up big once again for one of his eight first period saves and keep the U.S. up into the first intermission.

Roybal kept the pressure on with a quick shot 0:09 into the frame but Larocque got in front of it. Josh Pauls (Green Brook, N.J.) drew a penalty which set up a penalty shot 1:15 in but his opportunity was denied and kept the lead at two. Less than a minute and a half later, Joseph Woodke (Nashville, Tenn.) passed the puck to Roybal who sped past two Canadian defenders and netted his second of the game, 2:39 in.

Just 48 seconds later, Canada eyed its first goal of the game but Lee laid out and kept the puck out of the net. The U.S. kept its momentum going and tallied one more 7:51 into the period from Pauls. Farmer skated down the wing with Pauls and made a cross-crease pass to his teammate who had an open net to tap in Team USA’s fourth goal of the game.

The U.S. penalty kill came up big at the end of the second as they were down two skaters for over a minute. The defense held on to kill the first penalty as time expired to head into the final 15:00 up, 4-0.

Canada held the puck in its offensive zone but Lee came up once again with a pair of saves to keep the lead at four. With less than 10:00 to go, Roybal fell towards the ice but passed the puck along to Pauls. He found Farmer at the bottom of the faceoff circle who skated across the crease and buried his second of the game 5:57 into the third to make it 5-0.

David Eustace (Stoneham, Mass.) nearly made it 6-0 with 7:45 to play, but his shot rang off the pipe and sent towards the boards. Team USA held strong in the final minutes of the game and kept its shutouts as the team skated towards its fourth-straight Paralympic gold medal victory.

Lee stopped all 16 shots he faced to earn the shutout. He played in all four games for Team USA in the Paralympic tournament and did not allow a single goal.

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USA Downs Canada, 2-0, To Win Gold at World Juniors

The U.S. National Junior Team, behind 34 saves from Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) and goals from Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) and Alex Turcotte (Chicago, Ill.), beat Canada, 2-0, in the gold-medal game of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. It was the fifth gold medal for the United States in the tournament and the fifth time in the last six years that Team USA has medaled in the event, the best medal stretch in the nation’s history.

“I’m very proud of this group of guys, we really came together as a team over the course of this tournament. We played a great Canadian team today and we’re very fortunate to have beat them. I’m proud of how this team played together. This will be a memory they have forever.” – Head Coach Nate Leaman (East Greenwich, R.I.)

Team USA scored the only goal of the opening period at 12:25 when Turcotte deflected one home off Drew Helleson’s (Farmington, Minn.) shot from the far right point. The goal came after sustained pressure in the Canadian zone by the U.S. that spanned over multiple shifts. The U.S. was outshot 7-4 in the first 10 minutes of the period, but over the next five minutes took control and outshot the hosts by an 8-1 count. Knight was sharp in the opening stanza and made nine saves, including two on the only power play of the period.

Zegras staked the U.S. to a 2-0 lead just :32 into the second period when he took the carom off the end boards of an Arthur Kaliyev (Staten Island, N.Y.) shot the went wide and backhanded it in at the right side of the goal. Kaliyev had two great chances on Team USA’s first power play of the game near the mid-point of the period, but Canada netminder Devon Levi was up to the challenge. Canada pressured in the back half of the period, but Knight stopped all 10 shots on goal in the stanza, including a point blank save on Connor Zary at the goal mouth with just more than two minutes left in the middle frame.

Knight stood tall in the third period stopping all 15 shots Canada put on goal, including several point blank chances. It was the third shutout for Knight in the tournament and the fourth for Team USA.

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U.S. Triumphs over Austria, 11-0, With Seven Different Goal Scorers In Action

Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.) had two goals and two assists and Matthew Boldy (Millis, Mass.) scored three times as 16 different players recorded points in the U.S. National Junior Team’s 11-0 victory over Austria Saturday night in preliminary round play of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.

“It was a great bounce back win and I give a lot of credit to our leadership group to have the team ready,” said head coach Nate Leaman (East Greenwich, R.I.). “I thought we faced some adversity in the first period and I’m proud of the way that they fought through it and stayed with it and played hard until the end.”

The U.S. outshot Austria 22-3 in the opening frame and scored the only goal of the first 20 minutes at 15:31 when a puck bounced off defenseman Drew Helleson (Farmington, Minn.) out in front and through the legs of Austrian netminder Sebastian Wraneschitz at 15:31. Alex Turcotte (Chicago, Ill.) and Zegras drew assists on the play.

The U.S. extended its lead with six goals on 30 shots in the middle frame to take a 7-0 lead after 40 minutes. Boldy and Zegras led the charge with two goals apiece. Zegras sent the puck top shelf on Wraneschitz twice, including a shot off the back of the netminder’s helmet. Boldy went tape-to-tape on his first goal with Matthew Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) before scoring off the rebound on a Cam York (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) shot while on the power play.

Brendan Brisson (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and John Farinacci (Red Bank, N.J.) added to Team USA’s lead. Collecting the puck off his skate, Farinacci netted his shot from the combined efforts of Ryan Johnson (Irvine, Calif.) and Brett Berard (East Greenwich, Conn.) with 14:57 remaining. Brisson’s one-timer lasered in under the arm of Wraneschitz after receiving a pass from Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont.) with 11:55 left in the period. Brisson’s goal came on the power play.

USA’s lead only grew in the third period opening with a goal from Berard as he flew up the ice and sized up with Austria’s defenseman, sinking the puck in the net. Forty-two seconds later, a battle for the puck against the boards was won by the U.S, as Moynihan and Tyler Kleven (Fargo, N.D.) passed back and forth before Brisson collected a rebound to put the U.S. up 9-0.

Team USA finished out the final frame scoring two more goals, including a hat trick goal from Boldy as he rushed the net for a tap-in pass from Zegras and Moynihan. Sam Colangelo (Stoneham, Mass.) scored a quick one-timer off a Brock Faber (Maple Grove, Minn.) feed. Colangelo’s goal came on the forward’s 19th birthday.

The United States (1-0-0-1) will face the Czech Republic (0-0-0-1) on Tuesday, with puck drop set for Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. ET on NHL Network.

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2021 USA IIHF National Junior Team Roster Announced

Twenty-five players to compete in World Junior Championship

USA Hockey has named 25 players to the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team set to compete in the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship from Dec. 25, 2020 – Jan. 5, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta.

The group features eight members of the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltenders Spencer Knight (Darien, Conn.) and Dustin Wolf (Gilroy, Calif.), defenseman Cam York (Anaheim, Calif.), and forwards Bobby Brink (Minnetonka, Minn.), Cole Caufield (Stevens Point, Wis.), Arthur Kaliyev (Staten Island, N.Y.), Alex Turcotte (Chicago, Ill.) and Trevor Zegras (Bedford, N.Y.). Knight was also a member of the silver medal-winning 2019 U.S. National Junior Team.

“Our players and staff have done everything we’ve asked of them, all of the safety protocols and considerations, in order to make hockey the focus of our training camp,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. “We had a great week of camp and we have certainly faced adversity, but we believe in these 25 players and we all have the same goal.”

The roster is comprised of players born in 2001 or later, come from 17 different states. A total of 22 players are currently playing or previously played college hockey.

Team USA will face Russia in its first preliminary matchup Dec. 25 at Rogers Place with opening faceoff set for 7:30 p.m. local time/9:30 p.m. ET. 

FORWARDS

DEFENCE

GOALIES

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