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USA Hockey Returns Full National Junior Team Staff for 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship

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Nate Leaman will be joined by Ted Donato, Kris Mayotte, Steve Miller and Theresa Feaster
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced that Ted Donato (Scituate, Mass.), Kris Mayotte (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Steve Miller (Sun Prairie, Wis.) will serve as assistant coaches, and Theresa Feaster (Providence, R.I.) as video coach, for the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2021 – Jan. 5, 2022 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

The group will join Nate Leaman (East Greenwich, R.I.), head men’s ice hockey coach at Providence College, in an effort to defend the team’s gold medal. 

“We are grateful for the rare opportunity to return an entire gold medal-winning staff,” said John Vanbiesbrouck (Detroit, Mich.), general manager of the U.S. National Junior Team and assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. “We were excited to introduce our staff last year based on their shared experience and expertise. Our team will benefit from knowing that this is the group that led the United States to gold in Edmonton last year.” 

About Ted Donato: 
Donato, head men’s ice hockey coach at Harvard University, made his U.S. National Junior Team coaching staff debut last year with a gold medal. Donato is no stranger to international competition with USA Hockey. The 13-year NHL veteran played on the 1988 U.S. National Junior Team in Moscow and was also a member of Team USA in the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France.

In addition, Donato played in three IIHF Men’s World Championships, serving as captain in 1997 and also represented the U.S. at the event in 1999 and 2002. The former Harvard captain and 1989 NCAA champion has guided his alma mater as head coach to four ECAC Hockey titles and three Ivy League championships, along with six NCAA tournament berths across 16 seasons. Ted’s son Ryan Donato played on the bronze medal-winning 2016 U.S. National Junior Team, as well as the 2018 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. 

About Kris Mayotte: 
Mayotte returns as an assistant coach for a fourth time after helping the U.S. National Junior Team claimed a gold medal in 2021 and 2017, and a bronze medal in 2018. Mayotte is currently in his first season as head coach for Colorado College after serving as an assistant coach for the University of Michigan for the past two seasons.

Mayotte served in a similar role for four seasons at Providence College under head coach Nate Leaman, where he helped the Friars to the 2015 NCAA national championship. Mayotte previously coached two seasons at St. Lawrence University as an assistant coach from 2012-14, after one season as a volunteer assistant coach at Cornell. Mayotte was a four-year starter in net at Union College from 2002-06 and went on to play five seasons professionally across the American Hockey League and ECHL. 

About Steve Miller: 
Miller returns as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team for the sixth straight year after helping the United States earn medals in 2017 (gold), 2018 (bronze), 2019 (silver) and 2021 (gold). Miller helped lead the Providence College men’s ice hockey team to the 2015 national championship under head coach Nate Leaman, his third NCAA national championship as an assistant coach after winning back-to-back titles with Denver in 2004 and 2005.

Miller’s 32-year coaching career began in 1989 and has seen him contribute to 19 NCAA tournament berths, four Frozen Four appearances, seven conference tournament titles, and five regular-season league championships during his time with St. Mary’s University, Miami University, University of Denver, Providence College, Air Force Academy and Ohio State University. 

About Theresa Feaster: 
Feaster made her USA Hockey debut as a member of the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team coaching staff, winning a gold medal in Edmonton. Feaster was the first female to ever serve on the coaching staff of a U.S. National Junior Team.

The 2021-22 season will be her tenth at Providence and sixth season as the director of men’s ice hockey operations. She was a graduate assistant for two years prior to head coach Nate Leaman offering her a full-time opportunity in 2016, becoming at the time one of two women working as full-time hockey staff members for Division I men’s hockey teams. 

The remainder of the staff includes athletic trainers Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla./USA Hockey) and Jason Hodges (Plymouth, Mich./USA Hockey’s NTDP), equipment managers Scott Aldrich (Hancock, Mich./USA Hockey) and Nate LaPoint (Eau Claire, Wisc./University of Wisconsin), hockey operations Marc Boxer (Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey), communications Aaron Westendorf (Cincinnati, Ohio/USA Hockey), and digital content Meg Stahl (Middletown, N.J./USA Hockey). 

NOTES: The United States enters the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship seeking its sixth medal in seven years after earning a record four-consecutive medals: gold in 2017, silver in 2019, and bronze in both 2018 and 2016 … To date, the U.S. National Junior Team has claimed 13 medals, including five gold (2021, 2017, 2013, 2010, 2004), two silvers (2019, 1997) and six bronze (2018, 2016, 2011, 2007, 1992, 1986) … USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, New York), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams.