The U.S. skated for about 90 minutes, starting at 11 a.m. on the AMSOIL Arena ice, with special teams play taking place the final third of practice. The mood was upbeat and competitive. A few media interviews followed practice, along with an off-ice cool down session led by performance coach Will Morlock, whose full-time job is with the Michigan State University men’s hockey team.
DAD JOKE
We invite you to enjoy a fun piece where players were asked as they headed to the ice for practice to answer the question, “What state has the smallest sodas?” …. Think Dad joke and get ready to chuckle.
ALL-STAR COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Bob Motzko has a terrific cast of assistant coaches to help in guiding the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team, including Greg Brown, head men’s hockey coach at Boston College; Steve Miller, associate head coach of the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team; Garrett Raboin, head men’s hockey coach at Augustana University; David Lassonde, national goaltending coach for USA Hockey; Travis Winter, associate men’s hockey head coach at Bemidji State University; and Jacob LeRoy, video coach and director of hockey operations for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team. Brown will lead the U.S. power play with Winter assisting, while Miller has lead responsibilities for the Team USA penalty kill with help from Raboin.
FINAL BITS
With temperatures reaching the low 40s here today in Duluth, some players ventured outside through downtown Duluth and Canal Park after practice … During their free time, a handful of players have also been finishing up papers and exams connected to their respective collegiate studies … Team USA will practice tomorrow at 11 a.m. at AMSOIL Arena as preparation continues for the World Junior Championship … Beginning tomorrow, we’ll unveil a new daily feature of the Insider to help you get to know Team USA players using “throwback” questions.
