COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — University of Wisconsin women’s hockey head coach Mark Johnson will join Philadelphia Flyers assistant Joe Mullen as head coaches for the second annual CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game Sept. 26 in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA Hockey announced Friday.
The event, which will feature 40 of the top American-born prospects eligible for the 2014 National Hockey League Entry Draft, will be held at CONSOL Energy Center, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Both Johnson and Mullen are members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and Lester Patrick Trophy recipients for their outstanding service to hockey in the United States. Johnson and Mullen each played for the Penguins during their NHL careers.
Johnson has established Wisconsin’s rank among the elite in college women’s hockey. Under his direction, Wisconsin has compiled four NCAA titles, four Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff titles and four WCHA regular-season crowns. Johnson and the Badgers were the first team ever to land in the NCAA championship game in four consecutive seasons, winning the title three times (2006, 2007, 2009). He leads all active DI women’s college-hockey coaches with a winning percentage of .819, with an impressive record of 302-56-28.
Beginning in 2006-07, Johnson was the head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team for four seasons, culminating with a silver-medal showing at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. He also directed Team USA to the gold medal at the 2009 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the silver medal at the 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Also in 2009, Johnson steered Team USA to the gold medal at the IIHF Women’s Under-18 World Championship.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Johnson spent 11 seasons (1980-90) in the NHL, starting his career in Pittsburgh before moving on to the Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils. In 669 career games, he tallied 203 goals and 305 assists. Johnson was an NHL All-Star in 1983-84. He also represented the U.S. at 12 major international tournaments, including the “Miracle on Ice” squad at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. Johnson paced the U.S. with a team-best 11 points (5-6) during the gold-medal run. This marks the second year a member of the “Miracle on Ice” squad has been a coach for the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, as Rob McClanahan served as a coach last year.
Mullen skated for the Team USA at one International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship and three Canada Cups. Mullen was a three-time NHL All-Star and two-time recipient of the Lady Bing Trophy. He was the first American to record 500 career goals and 1,000 career points in the NHL. Over 17 seasons, he tallied 502 goals and 561 assists in 1,062 games. Besides the Penguins, Mullen also played for the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins. He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning one with Calgary in 1989 and two with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992.
