COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – John Tortorella (Boston, Mass.), the all-time winningest American-born coach in NHL history, will serve as head coach of the U.S. Men’s Select Team that will compete at the 2015 Deutschland Cup, while Craig Johnson (St. Paul, Minn.) has been named assistant coach.
The 2015 Deutschland Cup is set for Nov. 6-8, and will feature teams from Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States. All matchups will take place at Curt Frenzel Stadium in Augsburg, Germany.
Team USA has competed in the Deutschland Cup eight times previously, most recently in 2013 where it earned its third title in the event.
Tortorella, who was recently named the head coach for the U.S. team that will compete in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, has been on the staff of a number of U.S. teams in international competition. Most recently, he was an assistant coach for the silver medal-winning 2010 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Tortorella also served as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City, Canada. He was also an associate coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2005 IIHF Men’s World Championship in Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria.
On the NHL front, Tortorella most recently served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for the 2013-14 season after spending five seasons (2008-13) behind the bench of the New York Rangers, a stint highlighted by a trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2011-12. He also spent time as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning where he guided the Lightning to the Stanley Cup title in 2004.
Johnson, a second-round draft pick (33rd overall) of the St. Louis Blues in 1990, spent 10 seasons in the NHL with the Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals. He finished his professional career playing four seasons internationally.
Johnson spent the 1993-94 season with the U.S. National Team leading up to the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, where he played in all eight games for Team USA. He also competed for the U.S. at one International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship (1991) and four IIHF Men’s World Championships (1993, 1996, 1999, 2003), including a bronze-medal performance in 1996.
USA Hockey also named its support staff for the 2015 U.S. Men’s Select Team, including Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla.), trainer; Peewee Willmann (Hannover, Germany), massage therapist; Scott Aldrich (Colorado Springs, Colo.), equipment manager; Bob Webster (Littleton, Colo.), team leader; and Ryan Breen (North Falmouth, Mass.), video coach.
NOTES: For more information on the U.S. Men’s Select Team that will compete at the 2015 Deutschland Cup, click here … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. teams that compete internationally.
