USA Hockey ReleaseCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Hockey recently named Bethel University alum Joel Johnson as the head coach for the 2014-15 U.S. Women's National U-18 Team. Johnson will lead the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team at the 2014 Women's Under-18 Series against Canada in Calgary, Alberta, from Aug. 20-24, and at the International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 Women's World Championship that is anticipated to take place in the U.S. in the early part of 2015. Johnson, who spent six years at Bethel from 2004-10 in a myriad of coaching roles, is currently in his second stint and ninth season with the University of Minnesota women's hockey program.
"Joel has contributed a great deal at the collegiate level and at recent USA Hockey events to earn this well-deserved opportunity," said Reagan Carey, director of women's hockey at USA Hockey.
Assisting Johnson will be Katie Lachapelle (Winthrop, Mass.), assistant women's ice hockey coach at Boston University, and Brent Hill (Troy, N.Y.), assistant women's ice hockey coach at Merrimack College.
Johnson has previous experience with USA Hockey as a member of the coaching staff for the 2012 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship and the 2013 Women's Under-18 Series. He has also served as a coach at various U.S. Women's Select Festivals.
"I'm greatly honored to serve as the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team and have always cherished the responsibility that is associated with representing USA Hockey," said Johnson. "I trust that my past and current coaching experiences have prepared me to work alongside the other national team coaches and staff as we strive towards success at the IIHF World Championships in January."
Johnson completed his ninth season as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota in 2013-14, helping lead the women's hockey team to its third-straight appearance in the national championship game. Johnson has helped lead the Gophers to four national titles during his tenure (2000, 2004, 2012, 2013).
"I am very proud of Joel and happy that he will be coaching the United States Under-18 Team," Gophers head coach Brad Frost, a fellow Bethel alumnus, said.
In between his stints at the University of Minnesota, Johnson spent six seasons coaching at Bethel from 2004-10, including three years as the head men's hockey coach. In his first year, Johnson guided the Royals to a 16-7-2 overall record and an 11-4-1 mark in the MIAC. At the helm of Royals hockey, he posted a career record of 37-35-3 and 26-21-1 within conference play. As an assistant coach, Johnson helped the team to its first-ever MIAC regular season championship in 2006-07. The Royals followed with their first-ever playoff title and advanced to the NCAA national tournament in 2007. While Johnson was associated with Bethel, the team was a playoff contender each year. Along with his men's hockey responsibilities, he was also the men's and women's golf coach and prior to that was the soccer coach, where he earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors.
Johnson is a 1996 graduate of Bethel and was a three-sport standout with the Royals. He was a team-captain for the Bethel soccer, hockey and baseball teams. He finished his soccer career second in career assists and fifth in total points while twice earning MIAC All-Conference honors and being selected as a pre-season All-American in 1996. Johnson finished his baseball career with a .350 career batting average, finishing in the top 10 among Bethel's all-time leaders in hits, runs and RBI's. He scored 40 points from the blueline during his first two years of hockey before a back injury curtailed his hockey career.
