USA Hockey announced today that University of Denver head hockey coach David Carle has been named the head coach of the 2024 United States National Junior Team (U20) which will compete at the 2024 World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden. The annual tournament will take place from December 26, 2023, through January 5, 2024.
“We’re thrilled to have David leading our National Junior Team,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team and assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey in the USA Hockey release. “He’s done a terrific job at Denver and is one of the bright young coaches in our country.”
Carle, an Anchorage, Alaska native, was always going to be the obvious pick for the World Juniors role. In his five years leading the Pioneers, he has missed the NCAA Tournament just once (the 2020 tournament was canceled due to Covid-19, though Denver would have made that field of 16) and has led the Pioneers to two Frozen Fours, highlighted, of course, by winning the program’s record-tying ninth championship in Boston in 2022 as the fourth-youngest head coach to win a title at 32.
“It’s a great honor to have the chance to represent our country on the international stage,” said Carle, who of course was also an assistant on Jim Montgomery’s staff as an assistant from 2013 through 2018 and was a key piece of the 2017 team that won the program’s 8th title. “I’m Iooking forward to the challenge ahead and building a team that will give us an opportunity to bring home a gold medal.”
Carle, the first-ever DU head coach to lead the USA National Junior team, joins the lengthy and growing list of current and former Pioneers players to compete for the United States at the WJC and will have the opportunity to lead the Americans back to Gold Medal glory, something they haven’t been able to do in the last couple of tournaments, failing to medal in the postponed 2022 championship and securing bronze in the 2023 edition after winning the whole thing in 2021.
This is a tremendous thing not only for Carle but for the DU athletic program as a whole as well. Carle has always been a tremendous ambassador for the University and will certainly continue to do so on this elevated international stage. Plus, it certainly won’t hurt the recruiting effort.
The United States will compete in Group B in Sweden against Czechia, Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland next Winter.
Top photo: Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative
This is great news. Congratulations to Coach Carle. Well deserved!
Being chosen as the head coach of a US National Junior Team is a VERY BIG DEAL in the hockey world, and it confirms just how extremely well-regarded David Carle is among those executives at USA Hockey as well as the American NHL GMs who advise and guide the development of elite hockey in this country.
Selecting a US Junior Team coach has been, historically, a dues-paying payoff for those coaches who endure years of previous USA Hockey assignments – such as being an assistant coach for US Junior Teams, and coaching assignments at US U-18, U-17 and U-16 assistant coaches, development camps, etc.
The fact that USA Hockey chose Carle to head this very high profile program this year without any of those prior USA Hockey pre-requisites is truly awesome.
The entire NHL brass are all going to see Carle’s performance in Sweden up close this winter, and should the US team do well there, it will further enhance his reputation and candidacy for future NHL coaching jobs.
For DU and potential recruits, this USA Hockey choice of Carle for this position further cements the University of Denver as a key center of elite hockey development in America. Bravo.
Kudos to DC. There is not a more deserving man on this planet!
Has there ever been a head coach of any U.S. Natl Junior Team who never played college or professional hockey?
Yes – Lou Vairo. He coached five US National Junior Teams and the 1984 US Olympic Team, and was later an NHL assistant coach.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Vairo
Remember Gwaz is the guy who also deserves a lot of credit. He kept Dave on scolly and developed his coaching rudiments from the ground up.
Otherwise Dave would have never got that crucial first step.
Actually, Carle had both Gwoz and Monty as mentors. What a great pair to learn from!
Carle was also an assistant coach under current Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde for a season and a half back in 2012-2013 when Lalonde, a former DU assistant, was coaching the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Thus Lalonde was also a Carle mentor, as well as Gwoz and Monty.
Wow, this is amazing! Congrats to Coach Carle. What an honor.
The World Juniors is one of the best events of the year, hands down. Love it.
I remember the heartbreaking day he was pretty much disqualified from the NHL draft from a medical exam (which probably save his life). He shook off adversity and pursued his love of the game in another way. Simply incredible. Well deserved and what an inspiration. When life gives you lemons, give life the finger and go get it another way. Kudos to DU back in the day as well for honoring the scholarship and opening a new opportunity.