John Hynes, head coach of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, will make his fourth coaching appearance with the U.S. Men's National Team in 2025 as an assistant coach for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. He previously served as head coach of the team at the 2016 and 2024 IIHF Men's World Championship events and held an assistant coach role at the 2019 tournament.
Hynes previously spent six seasons (2003-09) behind the bench as a head coach at USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, leading his squads to a 188-131-16-10 overall record. During that time, he led the U.S. to three medals at the IIHF U18 Men's World Championship, claiming gold in 2006, silver in 2004 and bronze in 2008.
In 2004, Hynes helped the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship as an assistant coach. Additionally, he was previously named an assistant coach for the U.S. team that competed in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The Rhode Island native recently completed his first season as head coach of the Minnesota Wild in 2023-24. Before joining the Wild, Hynes spent parts of four seasons as head coach of the Nashville Predators from 2020-23.
Hynes previously spent four seasons as head coach of the New Jersey Devils. During the 2017-18 season, he led New Jersey to its first playoff appearance since the 2011-12 campaign.
He joined the Devils after six seasons with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins of the AHL, including five as head coach. In his time behind the bench, Hynes, who was named the 2011 AHL Coach of the Year, accumulated a 231-126-27 record. He guided the Penguins to five straight 40-plus win seasons and five consecutive playoff berths, including back-to-back appearances in the conference finals. In 2013, the Penguins became the first team in AHL history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit by taking the sixth and seventh games on the road. Furthermore, Hynes became the second-fastest coach in AHL history to reach the 100 career wins mark by doing so in just 152 games.
Hynes also spent time coaching at the college level, serving as an assistant coach at UMass-Lowell in 2000-01 and at the University of Wisconsin in 2002-03 after beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Boston University.
As a player, Hynes, a forward, played four seasons (1993-97) at Boston University where he competed in four NCAA Frozen Fours, winning the championship title in 1995. He reached career highs his junior season, totaling four goals and six assists.