July 19, 2018
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Penn State men's hockey Director of Operations, Alex Dawes will find himself among the best in the world this winter as he has been added to the support staff for the 2019 U.S. National Junior Team as announced by USA Hockey earlier Thursday morning. Dawes will serve as video coach for Team USA during the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship taking place on Dec. 26, 2018 through Jan. 5, 2019.
"It's always an honor to represent your country, but to be able to do it on one of the greatest stages in hockey is truly amazing," Dawes stated. "I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity."
Dawes will be responsible for producing scouting reports, pre and post-game meeting packages and will be assisting in all areas of hockey technology. This won't be his first experience with USA Hockey on the international stage as during the 2015-16 season he served as video coach of the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team, winning a gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championships.
Dawes will join rising sophomore Evan Barratt next week at the 2018 World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops, British Columbia. Barratt was named one of 42 players who were invited to the showcase back in June and will compete on the Blue team during the showcase. Incoming freshman Aarne Talvitie will also be in British Columbia next week skating with Team Finland. Both players are auditioning for a chance to represent their countries at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
The 2019 U.S. National Junior Team will be guided by Minnesota State Mankato Bench Boss Mike Hastings. The assistant coaches will be David Lassonde (Dartmouth College), Steve Miller (Ohio State) and Scott Sandelin (Minnesota-Duluth).
The 2018-19 Penn State men's hockey season begins with the annual International Game on Saturday, October 6 followed the next week by a pair of contests against Clarkson at Pegula Ice Arena on Thursday-Friday, October 11-12.