photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
Jack Capuano (Cranston, R.I.), associate coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, has been named head coach of the 2021 U.S. Men’s National Team that will compete in the upcoming 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship May 21-June 6 in Riga, Latvia.
Capuano will be joined by assistant coaches Nate Leaman (Providence, R.I./Providence College) and Adam Nightingale (Cheboygan, Mich./NTDP). In addition Kevin Reiter (Pittsburgh, Penn./NTDP) will serve as goaltending coach and Mike King (Center Conway, N.H./Ottawa Senators) as video coach.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have an outstanding coaching staff, led by Jack Capuano,” said Chris Drury, general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team. “Their involvement with USA Hockey in various ways over the course of time and combined international experience will be of great benefit as we head into the tournament.”
Capuano, who is currently serving as associate coach with the Ottawa Senators, will be representing the U.S. as a coach for the fourth time. He served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and was the head coach of the 2005 U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the Five Nations Cup in Slovakia. In addition to his time in Ottawa, Capuano’s 25-year professional hockey career has included time in the ECHL, AHL and NHL, including as head coach of the New York Islanders from 2010-17. He has also had stops with the Florida Panthers, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Pee Dee Pride, Knoxville Cherokee and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, where he began his post-playing days hockey career as an assistant coach.
Leaman, currently the head men’s ice hockey coach at Providence College, is serving as an assistant coach on a U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time. He is no stranger to the world stage, however, and most recently led the U.S. National Junior Team as head coach to the gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. He has also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team in both 2007 (bronze) and 2009. He made his USA Hockey coaching debut as an assistant coach at the 2005 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship where the U.S. won gold in the Czech Republic. Leaman has served as an NCAA Division I head men’s ice hockey coach since 2003-04, including eight seasons at Union College and the last 10 at Providence.
Nightingale, who recently finished his first season as a head coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, is making his first appearance as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He has supported four U.S. teams on the international stage as video coach previously, including three U.S. Men’s National Teams (2017, 2018-bronze, 2019) and one U.S. National Junior Team (2015). Prior to joining the NTDP, Nightingale was part of the coaching staff for both the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres and he has also previously served as head hockey coach at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota.
Reiter, who is the director of player personnel for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, is part of the staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team for the second time after serving as goaltending coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2019. An assistant coach for the bronze medal-winning U.S. National Junior Team at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, Reiter has been part of the coaching staff of three gold medal-winning U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Teams at the IIHF Ice Hockey Men’s World Championship (2014, 2015, 2017) and also for the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games. He was USA Hockey’s national goaltending coach before assuming his current role as director of player personnel.
King is joining the staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time. He has spent the last two seasons as the video coach for the Ottawa Senators and previous to that served as video coach for the Hershey Bears of the AHL.
USA Hockey also announced the support staff for the 2021 U.S. Men's National Team, including team leader Scott Aldrich (Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey); hockey operations Brij Singh (Los Altos, Calif./USA Hockey), athletic trainers Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla./USA Hockey) and Piet VanZant (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Red Wings); compliance coordinator/athletic trainer Jason Hodges (New Baltimore, Mich./USA Hockey); equipment managers Jamie Healy (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus Blue Jackets) and Dana Bryson (Medford, Mass./L.A. Kings); team physician Dr. Doug Weiss (Dublin, N.H./USA Hockey); massage therapist Peewee Willmann (Hannover, Germany/USA Hockey), content coordinator Kyle Huson (Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey), and media relations Jon Gomez (Whippany, N.J./L.A. Kings).
Capuano will be joined by assistant coaches Nate Leaman (Providence, R.I./Providence College) and Adam Nightingale (Cheboygan, Mich./NTDP). In addition Kevin Reiter (Pittsburgh, Penn./NTDP) will serve as goaltending coach and Mike King (Center Conway, N.H./Ottawa Senators) as video coach.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have an outstanding coaching staff, led by Jack Capuano,” said Chris Drury, general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team. “Their involvement with USA Hockey in various ways over the course of time and combined international experience will be of great benefit as we head into the tournament.”
Capuano, who is currently serving as associate coach with the Ottawa Senators, will be representing the U.S. as a coach for the fourth time. He served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and was the head coach of the 2005 U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the Five Nations Cup in Slovakia. In addition to his time in Ottawa, Capuano’s 25-year professional hockey career has included time in the ECHL, AHL and NHL, including as head coach of the New York Islanders from 2010-17. He has also had stops with the Florida Panthers, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Pee Dee Pride, Knoxville Cherokee and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, where he began his post-playing days hockey career as an assistant coach.
Leaman, currently the head men’s ice hockey coach at Providence College, is serving as an assistant coach on a U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time. He is no stranger to the world stage, however, and most recently led the U.S. National Junior Team as head coach to the gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. He has also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team in both 2007 (bronze) and 2009. He made his USA Hockey coaching debut as an assistant coach at the 2005 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship where the U.S. won gold in the Czech Republic. Leaman has served as an NCAA Division I head men’s ice hockey coach since 2003-04, including eight seasons at Union College and the last 10 at Providence.
Nightingale, who recently finished his first season as a head coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, is making his first appearance as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He has supported four U.S. teams on the international stage as video coach previously, including three U.S. Men’s National Teams (2017, 2018-bronze, 2019) and one U.S. National Junior Team (2015). Prior to joining the NTDP, Nightingale was part of the coaching staff for both the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres and he has also previously served as head hockey coach at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota.
Reiter, who is the director of player personnel for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, is part of the staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team for the second time after serving as goaltending coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2019. An assistant coach for the bronze medal-winning U.S. National Junior Team at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, Reiter has been part of the coaching staff of three gold medal-winning U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Teams at the IIHF Ice Hockey Men’s World Championship (2014, 2015, 2017) and also for the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games. He was USA Hockey’s national goaltending coach before assuming his current role as director of player personnel.
King is joining the staff of a U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time. He has spent the last two seasons as the video coach for the Ottawa Senators and previous to that served as video coach for the Hershey Bears of the AHL.
USA Hockey also announced the support staff for the 2021 U.S. Men's National Team, including team leader Scott Aldrich (Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey); hockey operations Brij Singh (Los Altos, Calif./USA Hockey), athletic trainers Stan Wong (Boca Raton, Fla./USA Hockey) and Piet VanZant (Livonia, Mich./Detroit Red Wings); compliance coordinator/athletic trainer Jason Hodges (New Baltimore, Mich./USA Hockey); equipment managers Jamie Healy (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus Blue Jackets) and Dana Bryson (Medford, Mass./L.A. Kings); team physician Dr. Doug Weiss (Dublin, N.H./USA Hockey); massage therapist Peewee Willmann (Hannover, Germany/USA Hockey), content coordinator Kyle Huson (Colorado Springs, Colo./USA Hockey), and media relations Jon Gomez (Whippany, N.J./L.A. Kings).