ST PAUL, Minn. — So much for a post-season vacation.
John Hynes of the Minnesota Wild didn't make the NHL Playoffs, but he is immediately going back to work after being named the coach of the 2024 U.S. men’s national team for next month's IIHF men’s world championship in Czechia.
USA Hockey announced the appointment on Friday for the event that will take place from May 10-26. The games will be played in Prague and Ostrava.
Hynes, who also coached the national team in 2016 and '19, finished his first season as coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild this week, missing the playoffs. The 49-year-old has also been a head coach for the Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils of the NHL, and for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL.
“We’re fortunate to have John leading our team,” said Brett Peterson, general manager of the 2024 U.S. men’s national team and also the assistant general manager of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. “His passion and energy, coupled with his vast experience, including on the world stage, will certainly serve us well in our efforts to bring back gold to the United States.”
The Warwick, Rhode Island, native spent six seasons (2003-09) as a head coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Hynes played at Boston University and competed in four NCAA Frozen Fours, winning the championship in 1995.
Hynes will have plenty of help in formulating the U.S. Men's National Team roster. An advisory group made up of NHL general managers including Hynes' boss Bill Guerin (Minnesota Wild), Kevyn Adams (Buffalo Sabres), Craig Conroy (Calgary Flames), Chris Drury (New York Rangers), Tom Fitzgerald (New Jersey Devils), Mike Grier (San Jose Sharks), Lou Lamoriello (New York Islanders), Chris MacFarland (Colorado Avalanche), Don Waddell (Carolina Hurricanes) and Bill Zito (Florida Panthers), will all provide input.
Some top players will be unavailable due to skating in the NHL playoffs, but there will still be plenty of talent to fill out a roster, including Wild skaters Brock Faber and Matt Boldy, Ottawa's Brady Tkachuck, Detroit's Dylan Larkin, Columbus's Johnny Gaudreau, Anaheim's Trevor Zegras and New Jersey's Luke Hughes, among others.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist: