David Carle has won a lot in the past 12 months. 

Carle led the University of Denver to an NCAA championship in April, capping a 32-9-3 season with a 2-0 shutout victory against No. 1-ranked Boston College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Three months earlier, Carle guided the U.S. National Junior Team to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden, defeating the hosts 6-2 in the championship game to complete an undefeated run in the tournament. 

Despite his name popping up in the NHL rumor mill, the 34-year-old is now focused on defending both of those titles. He will be back at Denver in the fall and USA Hockey gladly is bringing him back to coach the U.S. National Junior Team in the marquee tournament five months from now. 

“It means a lot,” Carle said. “I’m very honored to represent our country and it was a wonderful experience a year ago. There was so much joy for the kids and seeing the experience that they got to have with winning. And certainly, our goal is to do that again. We are a country that’s never won back-to-back in this event, and it’s something I’m really excited about.”

The efforts to build a defending international champion start tomorrow at the World Junior Summer Showcase, where Team USA will practice and play through Aug. 3 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. 

The Americans will have two teams, a blue and white squad, that will play separate games the first two days before narrowing down the U.S. roster for games against Finland, Sweden, and Canada. All games will be available to watch on USAHockeyTV.com.

Carle will be on the ice coaching, but during games he’ll also spend time observing from the press box, trying to get the best possible view of potential players and fits. It’s something he said he’s rather comfortable with after a comparable experience at last year’s Summer Showcase. 

“It’s going to be similar; we’re going to be putting players into positions to showcase their strengths and we’re going to ask some guys to be in positions that maybe they’re not normally in with their regular teams,” Carle said. “We have a lot of feel for the returners, which is nice for me compared to a year ago, but ultimately it’s all about getting these guys around one another and building a foundation to be ready when the intensity ratchets up in December.” 

Carle said he'll have a better feeling for the rhythm and how to run practices from the start, something he said he learned on the fly last summer. 

On top of working with 10 players from the 2024 gold-medal-winning team, Carle said he’s also excited about the familiarity with the entire staff, including his assistants and with the management group led by John Vanbiesbrouck. 

“There is a sense of trust, that’s the biggest word that comes to mind,” Carle said. “Having worked together previously and being able to really hit the ground running and not having any of those moments where you are trying to feel people out. We can just get right into it, and we are looking forward to everyone climbing in the right direction in Plymouth.”

If the Americans can start climbing in the right direction in July at the Summer Showcase, it’s only going to set even higher expectations for what the team and its coach could potentially achieve when they head to Ottawa in December for the start of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. 

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.