Wednesday, July 29, 2026
U.S. Collegiate Selects Announce 2026 Coaching Staff
New Hampshire’s Mike Souza to serve as head coach;
UMD’s Scott Sandelin, Cornell’s Casey Jones to serve as assistants at Spengler Cup
Looking to build on last year’s runner-up finish at the Spengler Cup, the United States Collegiate Selects (USCS) announced its coaching staff on Wednesday for the 2026 team that will compete in Davos, Switzerland in December.
University of New Hampshire men’s hockey head coach Mike Souza returns to the U.S. Collegiate Selects staff and will serve as head coach this year after being an assistant coach on the inaugural 2025 team. Souza will be joined by University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey head coach Scott Sandelin and Cornell University men’s hockey head coach Casey Jones, who will be the assistant coaches for the 2026 USCS squad.
“We’re excited to announce our coaching staff for this year’s Spengler Cup,” said USCS General Manager Steve Metcalf. “Mike Souza was part of our staff last year as we reached the championship game in our debut. Bringing him back as head coach gives us continuity and a coach who already knows what this tournament demands.
“Joining him are Scott Sandelin and Casey Jones — two of the most accomplished coaches in college hockey. Scott has won three national championships at Minnesota Duluth and played in the Spengler Cup himself, while Casey has built winning programs at Cornell and Clarkson over his long career.”
Along with his role with the U.S. Collegiate Selects, Souza enters his ninth season at the helm of the New Hampshire Wildcats in 2026-27. He led UNH to its first 20-win season in 10 years in 2023-24. Souza, a 2000 graduate of New Hampshire, was the associate head coach at his alma mater for three years before taking over as head coach.
A native of Wakefield, Mass., Souza played at UNH from 1996-2000, helping the Wildcats reach the national championship game in 1999, while serving as team captain as a senior. He went on to play professionally in the AHL before heading overseas to play in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, while representing the Italian National Team at multiple tournaments. Souza’s coaching career began as an assistant at Brown University (2011-13), before heading to the University of Connecticut (2013-15) and eventually back to his alma mater in 2015.
“I am incredibly honored to once again represent college hockey at the prestigious Spengler Cup. To showcase college hockey in a professional tournament like the Spengler Cup is an absolute privilege. Every aspect of the tournament is a unique experience for all involved, most importantly the student-athletes,” USCS head coach Mike Souza said. “In addition, I am especially excited about the opportunity to work alongside Scott Sandelin and Casey Jones, two of the most respected coaches in our game. Their experience and success will be extremely valuable as we look to improve on last year’s runner-up finish.”
Sandelin joins the USCS coaching staff during his 27th season in charge of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey. Taking over the helm of UMD in 2000, Sandelin has led the Bulldogs to the program’s only three NCAA National Championships, winning titles in 2011, 2018 and 2019. The Hibbing, Minn. native has guided UMD to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including this past season, and six Frozen Fours as head coach.
Sandelin played at the University of North Dakota from 1982-86, during which he also competed in the 1982 Spengler Cup. He played professionally in the NHL and AHL for six seasons, including with the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. Sandelin then went on to serve as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 1994-2000 before moving on to Minnesota Duluth. He has also served as head coach (2005) and assistant coach (2012, 2019, 2020) of the U.S. National Junior Team on multiple occasions.
Jones heads into his second season in charge of the Cornell men’s hockey program after leading the Big Red to the NCAA Tournament in his first campaign as head coach. The Temiscaming, Quebec native guided Cornell to a 22-11-1 record last year, tying the most wins ever by a first-year head coach at Cornell. Prior to making the move back to Ithaca, Jones was head coach at fellow ECAC foe Clarkson for 13 seasons from 2011-24, compiling 234 wins. He was named ECAC Coach of the Year in 2019 and led the Golden Knights to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Jones played his collegiate hockey at Cornell, as well, from 1986-1990, serving as team captain his senior season. He then joined the coaching staff at his alma mater in 1991 for two seasons as an assistant coach. From there, Jones made stops at Clarkson University (1993-95) and Ohio State University, where he was an assistant coach for 13 seasons. After going back to Cornell as an associate head coach for three years (2008-2011), Jones returned to Clarkson as its head coach in 2011.
The U.S. Collegiate Selects open play at the 2026 Spengler Cup on Saturday, Dec. 26 against Frölunda HC of Sweden before facing host HC Davos on either Dec. 27 or Dec. 28.
The USCS roster, which will feature 25 student-athletes from all six NCAA Division I conferences, will be announced in the coming months.
The Spengler Cup is the oldest invitational hockey tournament in the world, with the first edition held in 1923. The annual competition is held each December between Christmas and New Year’s in Davos, Switzerland and features six teams from Europe and North America competing at the Eisstadion Davos.
Visit CollegeHockeyInc.com for more information on the Spengler Cup.
Media Contact
Michael Weisman
Director of Communications
United States Collegiate Selects
mweisman@nchchockey.com
1-513-310-4869