Minnesota coach Bob Motzko will serve as head coach of the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team.
The team will play in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, Dec. 26, 2025-Jan. 5, 2026, in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“We’re fortunate to have someone with Bob’s level of experience coaching our team on home soil,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of Team USA and assistant executive director for hockey operations at USA Hockey, in a statement. “Having guided our teams to medals on two other occasions in the World Juniors, he knows what it takes to have success and we’re excited to have him leading our team.”
Motzko, who recently finished his seventh season as head coach of the Gophers, coached the U.S. to gold at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship and bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.
The U.S. will enter the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship as two-time defending gold medalist.
Team USA will compete in Group A against Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland in the preliminary round at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. Group B, which includes Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland and Latvia, will play its preliminary round contests at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.
Two quarterfinals will be played at each venue with both semifinals, along with the bronze and gold medal games, being staged at Xcel Energy Center.
