Nick Fohr Appointed Head Coach of the 2026 U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Nick Fohr (Grand Forks, N.D.), entering his fourth year as head coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, has been appointed to lead the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, as announced today by USA Hockey.
Joining Fohr will be assistant coaches Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.), Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y.), and Dan Darrow (Livonia, Mich.), along with goaltending coach David Lassonde (Durham, N.H.).
ABOUT THE IIHF UNDER-18 MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2026 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship will feature 10 teams and will take place in Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia. Team USA is placed in Group B alongside Czechia, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden in Bratislava, facing each of these teams in the preliminary round, starting April 22 against Czechia. Group A, which will play its preliminary round matches in Trencin, consists of host Slovakia, Canada, Finland, Latvia, and Norway. Both cities will host quarterfinal matches, with the semifinals and medal games scheduled for Trencin.
All Team USA matches will be broadcast live on NHL Network. The U.S. has secured 11 gold medals in the history of the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, the highest of any nation, and has medaled in 20 of the last 21 tournaments.
ABOUT FOHR
Fohr is taking on the role of head coach for the U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team for the second time, having previously led the 2024 team that earned a silver medal in Espoo/Vantaa, Finland.
Fohr is well-acquainted with the event, having been part of the coaching staff on six previous occasions (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022), contributing to the team’s gold medal victories in 2015 and 2017, as well as silver medals in 2013, 2018, and 2022.
Currently in his 15th season with the NTDP and fourth as head coach, Fohr has also spent five seasons as an associate coach and six as an assistant coach for the NTDP.
During his tenure at the NTDP, the Grand Forks, N.D., native has played a key role in leading the U.S. to championships at five Four Nations tournaments (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2022), seven Five Nations tournaments (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2026), a Vierumaki Cup (2024), and the 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament. Additionally, Fohr assisted the U.S. National Under-17 Team in winning two World Under-17 Hockey Challenges (2013, 2022) and achieving a runner-up finish in the 2012 event.
Moreover, he has been part of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team five times (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2021) and held the same position at three CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Games (2012, 2014, 2016). He was also involved with the U.S. National Junior Team that earned a bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Fohr began his coaching journey as a student assistant at the University of Nebraska-Omaha during the 2002-03 season, spent one year with Miami University (2003-04), and returned to UNO as director of hockey operations (2004-07) and assistant coach (2007-11) before joining USA Hockey.
Fohr played four seasons (1998-2002) at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and two seasons with the Lincoln Stars (1996-98), where he was selected for the USHL All-Star Team in 1997-98.
ABOUT PORTER
Porter is set to make his IIHF coaching debut at the 2026 Under-18 Men's World Championship as an assistant coach.
The Northville, Mich., native most recently held the position of head coach for the 2025 U.S. Under-18 Men's Select Team, which triumphed at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, marking the U.S.’s first championship at the event since 2003.
Porter is in his second season as an assistant coach with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. This season, he played a significant role in leading the U.S. National Under-18 Team to a championship at the 2026 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament and assisted the 2024-25 U.S. National Under-17 Team in securing a title at the 2024 Under-17 Vierumaki Cup.
Before joining the NTDP, Porter spent four seasons with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as an assistant, contributing to the team’s two Calder Cup playoff appearances.
As a player, Porter had a 12-season professional career with four NHL and five AHL teams, winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. He also played four seasons at the University of Michigan, where he received the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as a senior in 2007-08.
Porter was part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from 2002-04. He participated in two IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championships, helping the U.S. secure a silver medal in 2004, and played in two IIHF World Junior Championships, captaining the 2006 U.S. team.
ABOUT HAYES
Hayes will take on the role of assistant coach for the 2026 U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team after making his IIHF coaching debut with the 2025 team.
Hayes was part of the bronze medal-winning squad at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship in Frisco, Texas, and served in the same capacity for the 2025 U.S. Under-17 Men's Select Team.
Hayes is in his third season as an assistant coach with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the 2025-26 season. This year, he guided the U.S. National Under-18 Team to victory at the 2026 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. He also contributed to the U.S. National Under-17 Team’s championship at the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament and a second-place finish at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Hayes joined USA Hockey following a 13-year professional playing career, which included five seasons (2010-15) in the ECHL and eight seasons (2015-23) in Europe, primarily in Switzerland’s top league, before concluding his career in Austria.
The Syracuse, N.Y., native participated in two IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championships, aiding Team USA in winning gold (2006) and silver (2007) medals.
ABOUT DARROW
This is Darrow’s second stint as an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team, having previously served in the same role for the gold medal-winning 2023 team.
The Livonia, Mich., native is in his first season as an assistant coach for the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks men’s ice hockey team. Before joining the River Hawks, Darrow worked as a video coach for the Boston Bruins (2023-25), where he was instrumental in player preparation through film analysis, skill development, practice planning, and game preparation.
Darrow volunteered as an assistant coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program with the Under-18 Team in 2022-23, contributing to a 43-13-0 record.
Prior to his role with the NTDP, he spent seven seasons as a video coach for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, focusing on the integration of analytics.
Darrow was the first director of hockey operations at UMass-Lowell from 2011-2015. During his time with the River Hawks, he managed the daily operations of the hockey program and assisted the coaching staff with film breakdown. His tenure included two Hockey East playoff championships, one HEA regular-season championship, and participation in the 2013 Frozen Four.
Darrow joined UMass-Lowell after four years as a student assistant with the Michigan State University men’s ice hockey program. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from UMass-Lowell in 2017 after completing his bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State in 2011.
ABOUT LASSONDE
Lassonde is serving as the goaltending coach for the U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team for the sixth time in 2026. He has also held the same position for the U.S. National Junior Team on seven occasions.
The Durham, N.H., native most recently acted as an assistant coach for the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team, contributing to three gold-medal finishes (2013, 2024, 2025). Lassonde has coached three additional U.S. National Junior Teams, including the 2019 team that earned a silver medal.
Lassonde has served as an assistant coach at the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship five more times, including with the 2023 gold-medal winning team, the 2024 and 2022 squads that secured silver medals, and the 2025 team that won bronze.
He was also part of the staff for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, the 2015 championship-winning U.S. Under-17 Select Team, and the U.S. Under-18 Select Team that finished second at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
Lassonde, who has over 35 years of coaching experience, was appointed USA Hockey’s national goaltending coach at the start of the 2020-21 season and is currently in his sixth season with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.
Lassonde also worked with Team USA at the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships, winning a gold medal in 2017, has been a mentor at USA Hockey Player Development Camps since 1990, and has served as an instructor for USA Hockey’s Warren Strelow National Goalie Program since 2007.
Lassonde boasts a 32-year NCAA Division I men’s hockey coaching career that includes positions at Dartmouth College, University of Denver, University of New Hampshire, Miami University, and University of Wisconsin. His resume features 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, five Frozen Four participations, three conference tournament titles, and six regular-season championships. Lassonde played collegiately for two seasons (1981-83) as a goaltender for Providence College.
ADDITIONAL TEAM USA STAFF
USA Hockey has also revealed additional personnel supporting the 2026 U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team, including general manager Rod Braceful (Detroit, Mich.); equipment manager Brock Bradley (West Stockholm, N.Y.); athletic trainer Dennis MacDonald (Detroit, Mich.); team physician Dr. Mark Riederer (Philadelphia, Pa.); director of sports science Joe Meloni (Falmouth, Mass.); physical therapist Dr. Sean Condra (Livonia, Mich.); hockey operations manager Emilie Pelletier (Boston, Mass.); communications manager Michael Reedy (West Dundee, Ill.); and digital content manager Charles Crowell V (Greensboro, N.C.).
NOTES: To follow Team USA during the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, visit TeamUSA.USAHockey.com… The official IIHF tournament website can be accessed here… Follow @USAHockey on X for the latest updates and information throughout the tournament.
Team USA Schedule 
U.S. Under-18 Men's World History
