Todd Richards Will Lead Eichel, National Team at Men’s World Championships

USA Hockey has announced that Todd Richards will coach the 2015 Men’s National Team at the IIHF championships, May 1-17, in Ostrava and Prague, Czech Republic.

Richards, who is making his debut as coach for the Men’s National Team in IIHF World Championships, will be assisted by Dan Bylsma and Greg Carvel. Richards is currently the head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL. He also coached the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks.

Richards previously served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic team in Sochi, Russia, in 2014, and also the 2010 Men’s National Team in IIHF World Championships.

Richards is an alum of the University of Minnesota, and spent 13 seasons playing professional hockey, including eight games in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers.

While a complete roster has not yet been announced, Jack Eichel, who has been nabbed as a second overall pick in the NHL entry draft, has accepted an invitation to play for Team USA in the 2015 World Championships, according to IIHF. Eichel recently lead Boston University to the NCAA Championships, where they lost to Providence College, 4-3. Eichel previously served as captain of Team USA at World Juniors in January.

National Team Assistant Coach Bylsma served as Head Coach of the 2014 USA Men’s Olympic hockey team. He lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup in his first season as head coach with the program. His coaching record with the Penguins is 252-117-32.

National Team Assistant Coach Greg Carvel is making his debut as an assistant coach for the National Team. He currently serves as head coach for St. Lawrence University’s men’s hockey team in Canton, New York. He has previously served as an assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. Both franchises reached the Stanley Cup finals during his tenure.

NBC Sports will televise all Team USA games in the 2015 World Championships. A broadcast schedule will be available shortly.

Sixteen teams will compete in the World Championships, split into two groups of eight. Teams will play a round-robin in each group, and the top four teams from each group will move on to the quarterfinals. The U.S. will play its round-robin games in Ostrava. Click here for a schedule of games.