| Hoff Named Head Coach of 2019-20 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team |
| Tryouts To Take Place July 13-14; Development Team Coaches Named as 2019 USA Hockey Sled Hockey Player Development Camp Begins |
| COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), who led the United States to the gold medal at the 2019 Para Ice Hockey World Championship in Ostrava, Czech Republic last season, returns as head coach of the 2019-20 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, USA Hockey announced today.“We’re extremely pleased to have David back behind the bench this coming season,” said Dan Brennan, director of sled national teams for USA Hockey and general manager of the 2019-20 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. “His familiarity with our players and our program’s culture was evident all season long and played a big role in guiding us to a gold medal in Ostrava. With tryouts set to take place this weekend, I know David and our staff are excited to get ready for another great season.”Last season, Hoff guided the United States to a 10-1-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, including an undefeated 4-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record at the 2019 Para Ice Hockey World Championship to capture Team USA’s fourth gold medal in world championship history. In his international head coaching debut, Hoff also guided the U.S. to a perfect 5-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record at the 2018 Para Hockey Cup for the program’s unprecedented fifth consecutive title in the event.Prior to being tabbed head coach, Hoff spent parts of two seasons as an assistant coach for the United States under Guy Gosselin (Grafton, Wis.) in 2017-18 and the late Jeff Sauer (Madison, Wis.) in 2016-17. During those two seasons, Hoff helped Team USA to a gold medal at the 2018 Paralypmic Winter Games, a silver medal at the 2017 Para Ice Hockey World Championship and championship wins at the 2017 Para Hockey Cup and 2018 Turin Para Ice Hockey World Championship.Hoff, who has also been involved with USA Hockey as a coach-in-chief for the last 11 years, recently retired from serving 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.Hoff will be joined by assistant coach Corey Gorder (Bottineau, N.D.), athletic trainer Mike Cortese(Boynton Beach, Fla.), equipment manager Joel Isaacson (Houghton, Mich.) and team physician Mike Uihlein (Grafton, Wis.), all four of which were part of Team USA’s 2018-19 staff. The 2019-20 season will mark the second season for Gorder while Cortese, Isaacson and Uihlein have been a part of U.S. National Sled Hockey Teams that have collected two Paralympic gold medals (2014, 2018), four Para Ice Hockey World Championship medals (gold – 2015, 2019; silver – 2013, 2017), five-straight Para Hockey Cup titles (2015, 2016 (Jan.), 2016 (Dec.), 2017, 2018) as well as titles at the 2016 IPC Pan-Pacific Championship and 2018 Turin Para Ice Hockey World Championship.2019-20 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team Tryouts Take Place This Weekend Tryouts for the 2019-20 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team will take place this weekend (July 13-14) at Northtown Center in Amherst, New York.Over 60 players, including several members of Team USA’s gold medal-winning entries at the 2019 Para Ice Hockey World Championship and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, are expected to try out for the national team. The players will be divided into four teams and play two scrimmages on Saturday (July 13) and one scrimmage on Sunday (July 14).The 2019-20 season tryouts will come at the tailend of the 2019 USA Hockey Sled Hockey Player Development Camp, which will also take place at Northtown Center. The player development camp provides the United States’ top male and female sled hockey players with on- and off-ice training and coaching from elite-level instructors, as well as the opportunity to compete against their peers from across the country. Sixty male and female sled hockey players are expected to take part in the six-day camp, which will include daily practices and games.St. Germaine, Misiewicz Tabbed Development Team Head Coaches USA Hockey also announced today that Kip St. Germaine (East Falmouth, Mass.) and Rose Misiewicz (Duluth, Minn.) will each return for their second seasons as head coaches of the U.S. Men’s Development Sled Hockey Team and U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team, respectively. St. Germaine was a member of Team USA’s first-ever gold medal-winning teams at both the Paralympic (2002) and world championship (2009) level while Misiewicz, whose involvement with the U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team traces back to 2010, has participated in a number of USA Hockey disabled hockey events, including serving as an instructor at the annual Sled Hockey Jamboree presented by USA Hockey, whileThe U.S. Men’s and Women’s Development Sled Hockey Teams conduct training camps throughout the season and represent the United States in international competition. Tryouts for the 2019-20 U.S. Women’s Development Sled Hockey Team will take place during the Women’s Sled Hockey Training Camp from July 18-20 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan while the roster for the 2019-20 U.S. Men’s Development Sled Hockey Team will be determined following the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team tryouts.2019-20 Season National Team Tryout ScheduleDateEventRinkLocationTime (ET)July 13Mandatory Players MeetingLobbyAmherst, N.Y.10:30 a.m.July 13Team A vs. Team BOlympic SheetAmherst, N.Y.12 p.m.July 13Team C vs. Team DOlympic SheetAmherst, N.Y.1:15 p.m.July 13Team A vs. Team COlympic SheetAmherst, N.Y.5 p.m.July 13Team B vs. Team DOlympic SheetAmherst, N.Y.6:15 p.m.July 14Group BOlympic SheetAmherst, N.Y.9 a.m.July 14Group AOlympic SheetAmherst, N.Y.10:15 a.m.2019-20 Women’s Development Team Tryout ScheduleDateEventRinkLocationTime (ET)July 18Mandatory Players MeetingLobbyPlymouth, Mich.3 p.m.July 18On Ice SessionOlympic SheetPlymouth, Mich.4 p.m.July 19On Ice SessionOlympic SheetPlymouth, Mich.9:30 a.m.July 19On Ice SessionOlympic SheetPlymouth, Mich.5 p.m.July 20On Ice SessionOlympic SheetPlymouth, Mich.10:30 a.m.July 20On Ice SessionOlympic SheetPlymouth, Mich.5 p.m.NOTES: J.J. O’Connor, chair of USA Hockey’s Disabled Section, will serve as the camp director of the 2019 USA Hockey Sled Hockey Player Development Camp … David Hoff and Corey Gorder will serve as the co-head coaches of USA Hockey’s Sled Hockey Player Development Camp while Matt McGilvray and Ed Morris will serve as assistant coaches. Adding to the camp’s staff will be Paralympic gold medalists Mike Blabac (Hamburg, N.Y./2010 Paralympics), Noah Grove (Frederick, Md./2018 Paralympics), Jen Lee (San Francisco, Calif./2014, 2018 Paralympics), Luke McDermitt (Clayton, N.Y./2018 Paralympics), Rico Roman (Portland, Ore./2014, 2018 Paralympics) and Jack Wallace (Franklin Lakes, N.J./2018 Paralympics) … Additional Staff members include equipment specialists Ron Robichaud, Tom Daily and Chris Leverkuhn; transportation support Mike Vaccaro and Tim Meyers; team leaders Doris Donley, Laurie Kennedy and Jourdan Thunberg and camp physicians Dr. David Crandell and Dr. David Robinson. Also working the camp will be Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey, and Beth Mahr, USA Hockey’s disabled hockey manager … Athletes for the camp are chosen by the Player Development Committee from recommendations of sled hockey coaches nationwide … For more information on USA Hockey’s disabled hockey disciplines, click here. |
