Latest news with #SpenglerCup
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
UNH men's hockey coach Mike Souza named to staff for Spengler Cup Collegiate Selects squad
'[Gadowsky's] vision for bringing a college team to the prestigious Spengler Cup made him the clear choice to lead this effort,' Metcalf said in a press release. Metcalf also praised Souza and Lammers, saying 'both bring exceptional experience and a shared commitment to showcasing the best of the college game.' Gadowsky has led the Nittany Lions for the last 14 seasons, making four NCAA Tournament appearances, Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Held annually in Davos, Switzerland, the six-team invitational tournament traditionally features club and national teams from Europe and North America. It is hosted by the Swiss professional team HC Davos each year from Dec. 26-31 at Eisstadion Davos. The University of North Dakota competed in the 1982 Spengler Cup, and the University of Minnesota participated in 1981. Advertisement The 2025 tournament will mark the first time a select team representing college hockey will compete. The team will be comprised of active NCAA Division 1 players of any nationality representing all six conferences and Division 1 independent programs. The roster is expected to be announced in November and will likely be mostly older players, as most of the top younger players will be competing in the World Junior Championship that same week in Minnesota. Advertisement 'There's a lot of excellent college hockey players that are in the NHL now that did not peak at 19 years old,' said Gadowsky. 'You see it all the time, and I think that this is great exposure for those players that maybe didn't play in the World Juniors that are doing extremely well in college hockey. This is a great opportunity for them to get exposure. [Scouts from] every NHL team will be there. All the best teams in Europe will be there. 'So I feel really strong that we can put a very strong college lineup together and college hockey has always been a great pathway for players that maybe take a little while to bloom. There's always been great free agents that come out, and they're extremely successful in the NHL, and those are the type of guys we're looking for.' Legend of the game Dick Umile , Souza's predecessor at UNH, received the 2025 Legend of College Hockey honor at the Hobey Baker Awards Banquet last week in Lake Elmo, Minn. Umile coached UNH for 28 seasons, guiding the Wildcats to 596 victories, two national championship games, four Frozen Fours, 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Hockey East regular-season championships, and two Hockey East tournament titles. The Wildcats won 20 or more games 20 times during his tenure. Souza played four seasons under Umile, posting a 23-42—65 line for the 1998-99 squad that the reached the national championship game before falling to Maine in overtime, and serving as captain for the 1999-2000 season. Souza returned to Durham in 2015 to serve as associate head coach, before taking over when Umile resigned following the 2017-18 season. Advertisement 'I did not know much about UNH until Coach Umile walked into my living room in 1995,' said Souza. 'He sat down, looked at me, and said, 'If you play for me, I will treat you like you are my own kid.' And that was the truth. And I saw that over and over again over the years. He meant what he said and lived it every day. I am blessed to have played for him and worked with him.' Umile received 11 Coach of the Year honors in his career, including the Spencer Penrose Award winner as National Coach of the Year in 1999. He was named the top coach in New England four times and Hockey East Coach of the Year a record six times. Follow Andrew Mahoney
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
P.E.I.'s Turk Gallant, Mike Kelly headed to coach in KHL
Article content It's official. P.E.I.'s Gerard (Turk) Gallant and Mike Kelly are returning to coaching. Article content Insider Pierre LeBrun first reported Gallant was headed to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in July, but no team was mentioned. That team is the Shanghai Dragons, who made the official announcement on Aug. 13. Article content Article content The rebranded Dragons are the former HC Red Star Kunlun. Article content 'I'm excited about it,' Gallant told The Guardian in a phone interview. 'Obviously, I was looking for an NHL job the last two years and nothing came up, so I was pretty disappointed the past couple of summers things have not worked out in the NHL like the past 10 or 12 years. Article content Article content 'You have to get back at it and I just said to myself, 'It's two years I haven't been coaching and if I'm going to continue coaching – I'm 61-years-old – I have to get back at it.'' Article content Gallant, from Summerside, said it's a great opportunity with the Dragons and he had positive discussions with team officials. Article content 'I sat down with Mike Kelly and we discussed it and think it's a good opportunity,' said Gallant, who has not coached in the National Hockey League (NHL) since parting ways with the New York Rangers following the 2022-23 season. 'It's a long ways from home and I'm going to miss being with the grandkids and the family like I have been the last couple of years. Article content 'Hockey is my life and I would like to get back at the coaching – get the itch back and see where it takes us.' Article content Article content Kelly has worked alongside Gallant as an assistant coach in Saint John of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and New York Rangers. Article content Article content Gallant and Kelly last coached Team Canada at the 2024 Spengler Cup in Switzerland. Article content 'I didn't know if I'd be as excited as I am,' said Kelly, who grew up in Shamrock and lives in Charlottetown. 'I'm really excited to getting back to work again and coaching. Article content 'I've talked to a lot of people about the KHL and the kind of league it is, and I hear nothing but good things, both about the KHL and the city of St. Petersburg.' Article content The Dragons will play in St. Petersburg out of the SKA Arena – the world's largest hockey arena with a capacity of 22,500. Article content The Dragons' first game of the 2025-26 season is Sept. 6. Article content 'Right now, the priorities are the same as they always are – get your systems down, get your plan of attack down, do up your schedule for training camp, but it's still hockey,' said Kelly. 'You don't want to overthink it too much. Article content 'You just want to go and get guys to play the way we've tried to get other teams to play – fast, quick competitive and see where it takes us.'
