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There will be a college hockey influence on the coaching staff hoping to lead Team USA to its first World Junior Championship gold medal since 2013.
USA Hockey named four assistant coaches Wednesday to its 2017 WJC team. The four are longtime Boston College associate head coach Greg Brown, Providence assistant goaltending coach Kris Mayotte, current Air Force Director of Hockey Operations Steve Miller, and Minnesota assistant Grant Potulny.
They join St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko, named the USA head coach in late April.
In addition to all five currently having ties to college hockey programs, they have each had success in the sport. Each has been on a member of a Frozen Four coaching staff at one point over the past four seasons.
Brown, who works with the Eagles' defense and special teams, was an assistant on Team USA along with Motzko in 2014. Potulny, meanwhile, was an assistant on Phil Housley's 2013 Team USA squad that won gold. He is entering his eighth season as a coach with the Gophers, working with the forwards and power play.
Mayotte and Miller are both coaching Team USA for the first time. Reuniting after being assistants on Providence's 2015 national championship, Miller has over two decades of coaching experience in college hockey at Miami, Denver, and the Friars.
The 2017 IIHF U-20 World Junior Championships run from December 26, 2016 to January 5, 2017 in Montreal and Toronto.
A Kyle Connor-less Team USA under Ron Wilson finished third during the last tournament to muck its way to a medal after finishing fifth in two straight years.