Jeff Blashill named head coach of U.S. Men’s National Team for World Championship

By @MichaelCaples –

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill has been named the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team for the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championship.

The Michigan native will lead Team USA from May 5-21 in Cologne, Germany and Paris, France.

“We’re extremely pleased to have Jeff lead our men’s national team at the world championship,” said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey and part of the U.S. Men’s National Team Advisory Group. “He’s been successful at every step of his career and we know our team will be well prepared when the puck drops.”

It will be the first time that the Sault Ste. Marie native serves in this capacity for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He has other international experience, however; Blashill served as teh goaltending coach for the 2009 U.S. National Junior Team at World Juniors, and as an assistant coach for the U.S. Junior Select Team in 2009 and the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the 2006 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

Blashill’s lengthy coaching resume features head-coaching roles with the Indiana Ice (USHL), Western Michigan Broncos, Grand Rapids Griffins and, for the past two seasons, his hometown Detroit Red Wings.