Aug. 14: Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky was officially named the first-ever head coach for the United States Collegiate Select team at the 2025 Spengler Cup, which will be played Dec. 26-31 at Eisstadion Davos in Switzerland.
Gadowsky enters his 26th season of collegiate coaching and it’s his first opportunity to coach a national team. When approached by College Hockey Inc. and Hockey East Commissioner Steve Metcalf with the idea, “it was an absolute yes,” from Gadowsky.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the inaugural team for the US collegiate selects,” Gadowsky said. “I think it’d be an honor at any time, let alone the first time. It’s going to be a great experience. It’s wonderful for college hockey. It’s going to be a great experience for all the players involved. It’s going to be a great platform for exposure for all of them.”
The selection process was deliberated on for an extended period of time, and Gadowsky was first aware of the possibility “a few years ago,” he said in a Thursday morning press conference.
As for the rest of the coaching staff, Gadowsky will be assisted by Niagara head coach Jason Lammers and New Hampshire head coach Mike Souza. Gadowsky said that Metcalf knew Souza “really well” and Lammers has “an excellent reputation throughout college hockey.”
“I do know Jason (Lammers). I know he’s a tremendous coach and person,” Gadowky said. “I do know Mike (Souza), and I’ve been incredibly impressed with what I’ve seen and everything I’ve heard about him has been just awesome. (He’s a) very excellent coach, but an awesome person as well. (I’m) very happy with the coaches.”
The team-selection process will be deliberate and carefully executed, with the final roster finalized in November. Gadowsky and his staff want every conference represented and will receive help from NHL scouts.
While the staff consists of a Big Ten, Hockey East and Atlantic Hockey America coach, that leaves three other conferences and Division I independent programs unrepresented, which is where professional scouts will step in and give their opinions.
“We want to make sure that every conference is represented, and that’s number one,” Gadowsky said. “We are going to come up with initial lists prior to the season, probably based on the success (in) college hockey in the past. And then the final roster is going to be finalized in November. I believe we are going to meet in Massachusetts prior to flying out to Davos around December 23. And because the coaches can’t see everybody, we’ve also enlisted the help of a few NHL scouts that see a lot of college hockey, and we’ll take their opinion on players.”
In the Spengler Cup’s 102-year history, 2025 marks the first time college hockey is represented. Specific collegiate teams have participated — Minnesota in 1981 and North Dakota in 1982 — but the entire NCAA has yet to play as a whole.
“It’s an awesome tournament. It’s very well attended and it’s done at a great level. On its own, it’s going to be a very, very good experience,” Gadowsky said.
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