Adam Nightingale will be behind the bench for the United States in Edmonton and Red Deer in December.
The Michigan State head coach was named head coach of the American team at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship by USA Hockey on Wednesday.
Adam Nightingale has been named head coach of the 2027 U.S. National Junior Team 🇺🇸 #WorldJuniors
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 8, 2026
Details: https://t.co/acLe5C41if pic.twitter.com/H9oHRJGnaH
“Adam is an excellent coach, and we are excited to have him guiding and helping build our team,” U.S. general manager John Vanbiesbrouck, said in a statement. “He knows the player pool extremely well and has such a good handle on what it takes to win on the international stage.”
A native of Cheboygan, MI, Nightingale has been head coach of the Spartans for the past four seasons. He has an overall record of 94-43-11. Nightingale spent two seasons with the Spartans as a player from 2003 to 2005.
This winter’s tournament in Alberta will be a return to the WJHC for Nightingale. He previously served as video coach for the American entry in 2015. His international experience also includes serving as an assistant coach on the gold medal-winning United States team at this past spring’s IIHF World Championships.
“There are so many good coaches that they could take, to be able to represent our country on that stage,” Nightingale said in a statement. “It’s a huge, huge honor and I’m looking forward to it.”
The United States will compete in Group B alongside Finland, Germany, Latvia and Sweden. After failing to medal in 2026, the U.S. is looking for a third gold medal in four tournaments.
