Larson to serve as assistant coach for Team USA at IIHF World Juniors
4/24/2019 12:26:00 PM | Men's Hockey
USA Hockey today named St. Cloud State University's Brett Larson as one of the four assistant coaches for the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2020 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic. The other assistant coaches will be Steve Miller, David Lassonde and Jerry Keefe .
The quartet will work with Scott Sandelin, who was previously announced as head coach. All four assistant coaches have previously served on a U.S. coaching staff, helping U.S. national teams capture four IIHF medals (two gold, one silver, one bronze) and two other international titles.
Larson, who just completed his first season as head coach of the St. Cloud State University men's ice hockey team, will be behind a U.S. bench for the second time and his first in IIHF competition. In 2012, Larson served as the head coach for the U.S. Junior Select Team that captured the World Junior A Challenge.
Larson is in his eighth season in the collegiate hockey coaching ranks. In his first campaign as head coach, Larson led St. Cloud State to the Penrose Cup as the NCHC's regular-season champion and a runner-up finish in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Larson will be part of a Sandelin-led staff for the third time after his first two stints (2008-11, 2015-18) - both at Minnesota Duluth - culminated in NCAA national championships (2011, 2018). In between his time with his alma mater, Larson spent two seasons (2011-13) as head coach of the United States Hockey League's Sioux City Musketeers and two seasons (2013-15) as an associate head coach at Ohio State University.
A Duluth native, Larson was an 11th round pick of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings in 1990 and played at Minnesota Duluth for four seasons (1991-95) where he was tabbed captain his senior year and earned WCHA All-Academic honors three times. Larson was the 2018-19 NCHC Coach of the Year and was also a finalist for the AHCA National Coach of the Year award.
NOTES: John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, is serving as general manager of the 2020 National Junior Team ... NHL Network is the exclusive U.S. home of the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship … The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship will take place in Ostrava and Trinec, Czech Republic, from Dec. 26, 2019 - Jan. 5, 2020 ... The United States enters the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship having medaled in four straight World Junior Championships for the first time in U.S. history after earning gold in 2017, silver in 2019 and bronze in 2018 and 2016 … To date, the U.S. National Junior Team has claimed 12 medals, including four gold medals (2017, 2013, 2010, 2004), two silver medals (2019, 1997) and six bronze medals (2018, 2016, 2011, 2007, 1992, 1986).
