Per Frank Seravalli, Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale will be named head coach of the 2027 U.S. National Junior Team.
Some 🇺🇸 @usahockey news: Hearing @MSU_Hockey coach Adam Nightingale will be named head coach of 2027 World Junior team.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 17, 2026
Nightingale spent two years coaching in the U.S. NTDP before landing in East Lansing, where he's restored the Spartans to glory as one of the top programs.
Nightingale will lead Team USA at the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia, from December 26, 2026, to January 5, 2027.
He previously led the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team to a Silver Medal at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship. Nightingale has also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the IIHF World Championships in 2021 (Bronze) and 2025 (Gold).
The appointment comes as Nightingale continues to revitalize the Michigan State program. Since taking over his alma mater in 2022, he has guided the Spartans to three consecutive Big Ten Regular Season Championships and back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles. He has also amassed 93 wins in just under four seasons, becoming the fastest coach in program history to reach the 50-win milestone.
While the full assistant coaching staff will be announced later this summer, USA Hockey confirmed that John Vanbiesbrouck will return as the general manager for the 2027 team.