COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), who served as an assistant coach on the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, has been named head coach of the 2018-19 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, it was announced today by USA Hockey.
“We’re extremely pleased to have David as the head coach of our national team for this coming season,” said Dan Brennan, director of sled national teams for USA Hockey and general manager of the 2018-19 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “He was an important part of our Paralympic gold medal-winning staff last March and has contributed to our program for the last seven years in multiple capacities.”
Last season, Hoff helped the United States compile a 15-1-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record that included championship wins at both the 2017 World Sled Hockey Challenge in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and the 2018 Turin Para Ice Hockey International Tournament before culminating in an unprecedented third-straight Paralympic gold medal.
“It’s a privilege to be asked to coach this team and I’m thankful to USA Hockey for this opportunity,” said Hoff. “I have seen first-hand how both Jeff (Sauer) and Guy (Gosselin) cultivated a winning culture within this program. In looking at our player pool, I’m excited for tryouts later this month and to begin working with Dan and our development team coaches in shaping our roster for this coming season.”
This will be Hoff’s third season with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team after serving as an assistant coach alongside Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.) last season and the late Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.) in 2016-17. In addition to helping the U.S. to a trio of international wins in 2017-18, Hoff also was part of Team USA’s silver medal finish at the 2017 Para Sled Hockey World Championship in Goyang, South Korea.
Hoff, who has also been involved with USA Hockey as a coach-in-chief for the last 10 years, serves as an athletic director, mathematics teacher and head coach for the boys’ ice hockey team at Bottineau High School. He graduated from Minot State University in 1990.
2018-19 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team Tryouts Take Place July 14-15
Tryouts for the 2018-19 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will take place July 14-15 at Northtown Center in Williamsville, N.Y.
Over 60 players, including 14 members of the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, are expected to try out for the national team. The players will be divided into four teams and play two scrimmages on Saturday, July 14, and one scrimmage on Sunday, July 15.
Preceding the tryouts is the 2018 USA Hockey Sled Hockey Player Development Camp, which begins Sunday (July 8) at Northtown Center and concludes next Friday (July 13). Fifty-seven male and female sled hockey players ages 12-36 will take part in the six-day camp, which will include daily practices and games.
St. Germaine, Davidson Tabbed Development Team Head Coaches
USA Hockey also announced today two former U.S. national team players as head coaches for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Development Sled Hockey Teams for the upcoming season. Shawna Davidson (Duluth, Minn.), a member of three U.S. Women’s National Teams that earned silver medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (1990, 1992, 1994), will serve as head coach for the U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team while Kip St. Germaine (East Falmouth, Mass.), a member of Team USA’s first-ever gold medal-winning teams at both the Paralympic (2002) and world championship (2009) level, will lead the U.S. Men’s Development Sled Hockey Team.
Tryouts for the 2018-19 U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team will take place during the Women’s Sled Hockey Training Camp from Aug. 23-26 at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J. The roster for the 2018-19 U.S. Men’s Development Sled Hockey Team will be determined following the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team tryouts.
Notes: Deloitte, Labatt USA and Toyota are proud sponsors of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams.
