COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Tony Granato (Downers Grove, Ill.) and Mike Sullivan (Centerville, Mass.) will attend the first four days (Aug. 2-5) of the 2014 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, New York, as camp assistant coaches.
The NJEC will convene 42 U.S. players Aug. 2-9 at the Olympic Training Center. In addition to daily practices, the U.S. will play international games against Finland, Sweden and Czech Republic. The camp is an audition for positions on the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2014-Jan. 5, 2015, in Montreal and Toronto, Canada.
Granato served as an assistant coach for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team in Sochi, Russia. He is entering his first season as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Granato spent the previous five seasons (2009-14) as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Granato was with the Colorado Avalanche for six seasons, including nearly three years as head coach (2002-04, 2008-09). He played 13 seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers (1988-90), Los Angeles Kings (1990-96) and San Jose Sharks (1996-01). Internationally, Granato played for the United States in seven international competitions, including the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, the 1991 Canada Cup, three IIHF Men’s World Championships (1985, 1986, 1987) and two IIHF World Junior Championships (1983, 1984).
Sullivan has served as a coach for multiple U.S. National Teams. In 2006, he was an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team in Torino, Italy. For the U.S. Men's National Team, he was the head coach in 2007 and an assistant coach in 2008. At the NHL level, Sullivan was most recently an assistant for the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14. From 2009-13, he was an assistant for the New York Rangers. Prior to New York, he spent two seasons (2007-09) with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sullivan possesses NHL head coaching experience, having led the Boston Bruins from 2003-06. His first professional coaching job came in 2002-03 when he was head coach of the American Hockey League's Providence Bruins.
NOTES: Use the hashtag #NJEC on Twitter to join the conversation surrounding the camp … Mark Osiecki is head coach of the 2015 U.S. National Junior Team. He is currently an assistant coach for the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs ... The assistant coaches for Team USA are Don Granato (U.S. National Under-18 Team), Kevin Patrick (University of Vermont) and Mike Ayers(Boston College) ... Adam Nightingale (Shattuck St. Mary's School) is the video coordinator ... Jim Johannson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the sixth consecutive year ... USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Gavin Regan, vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams.