COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced the coaching and support staffs for the 2026 Chipotle All-American Game, which will be held Thursday, Jan. 15, at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on NHL Network. Tickets are on sale now, and available here.
Pat Maroon (St. Louis, Mo.) will serve as the honorary guest coach for Team Blue alongside head coach Ryan Cruthers (Farmingdale, N.Y./Sioux Falls) and assistant coaches Brett Skinner (Fargo, N.D./Fargo), and Ryan Hayes (Syracuse, N.Y./USA Hockey NTDP). Derek Plante (Cloquet, Minn.) is the guest coach for Team White, led by head coach Colten St. Clair (Gilbert, Ariz./Muskegon), who’s joined by assistant coaches Patrick McCadden (Chesterfield, Mo./Green Bay) and Kevin Porter (Plymouth, Mich./USA Hockey NTDP).
ABOUT TEAM BLUE STAFF
Maroon, a 14-year NHL veteran, is currently in his first season as an assistant coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Maroon played 846 regular-season games during his NHL career for eight different teams before retiring at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. He represented the U.S. on the international stage at the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship.
Cruthers, who also served as the head coach of Team White at the 2025 Chipotle All-American Game, is in his second season as the bench boss for the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede, who are currently atop the Western Conference standings with a 20-10-2-0 (W-OTW-OTL-SOL) record. Having previously served as an assistant coach of the Stampede during the 2022-23 season, Cruthers’ experience also includes a one-year stint (2023-24) as the head coach and general manager of the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Fayetteville Marksmen, and seven seasons as head coach and general manager of the Charlotte Rush from 2015-2022. Additionally, from 2017-18, he was head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Chicago Steel. The Farmingdale, N.Y., native played collegiately at Army West Point (2003-05) and Robert Morris University (2006-08) before beginning an eight-year professional career in the AHL and ECHL.
Skinner is currently in his second season as the head coach and general manager of the Fargo Force in the USHL after previously serving as the team’s head coach in 2023-24, a season in which he was named USHL Coach of the Year after leading Fargo to the winningest season in league history, capturing an Anderson Cup title as regular season champions with a 50-10-2-0 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record and following that up with a Clark Cup title as USHL playoff champions. Prior to joining Fargo, Skinner spent one season (2022-23) as head coach of the Minnesota Wilderness in the North American Hockey League, and five seasons (2017-22) as an assistant coach of the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. A member of the University of Denver men’s ice hockey team from 2002-05, Skinner played 12 seasons (2005-17) of professional hockey in North America and Europe, including an 11-game stint with the NHL’s New York Islanders in 2008-09.
Hayes, in his third season as an assistant coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, will be behind the bench for as an assistant for Team Blue. A USA Hockey NTDP Alum (2005-07), Hayes spent 13 years playing professionally, including five seasons (2010-15) in the ECHL and eight campaigns (2015-23) in Europe.
The Team Blue staff also includes equipment manager Brock Bradley (West Stockholm, N.Y.), who has been an equipment manager for USA Hockey’s NTDP for 25 seasons, and athletic trainer Mike Maciejewski (Lake Orion, Mich.), who served as the athletic trainer for the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team at the 2025 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship.
ABOUT TEAM WHITE STAFF
Plante, who played eight seasons (1993-01) in the NHL, primarily with the Buffalo Sabres, is currently in his first season as a pro scout for the Ottawa Senators. Prior to joining the Senators, Plante spent three seasons (2022-25) as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks. His coaching background also includes two stints with his alma mater, the University of Minnesota Duluth, as an assistant (2009-15) and associate head coach (2020-22) coach for the men’s ice hockey team. He also served as a development coach for the Blackhawks in a previous tenure with the team from 2015-20. In addition to his NHL playing experience, Plante played professionally overseas for seven seasons (2001-08), and represented the U.S. internationally at six IIHF Men’s World Championships (1992, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002), and one IIHF World Junior Championship (1991).
St. Clair is in his first season as head coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks after being elevated to the position following one campaign as the team’s associate head coach. Prior to joining Muskegon, St. Clair had a stint as head coach of the Omaha Lancers in 2024 after one season serving as head coach of the NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness in 2023-24. From 2021-23, he served as associate head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers and was also the team’s assistant general manager during the 2022-23 season. His coaching career also includes stops as an assistant coach for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers (2019-21), the University of Maine men’s hockey team (2018-19), and the Phoenix Knights of the Western States Hockey League. Before beginning his coaching career, St. Clair played three seasons for the USHL’s Fargo Force (2008-11) and five seasons collegiately for the University of North Dakota (2011-16).
McCadden is currently in his second season as general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. Prior to being elevated to his current role, McCadden spent the 2023-24 season as the team’s associate head coach, and 2022-23 as an assistant coach. His experience also includes a five-year stint at St. Lawrence University, where he served on the men’s ice hockey staff as an assistant coach from 2017-19, and associate head coach from 2019-22. McCadden played for the Gamblers from 2008-10, before beginning his college career at Michigan Tech University, where he played for two seasons (2010-12). He went on to play two more seasons (2012-14) at St. Norbert College and then three seasons (2014-17) of professional hockey in the SPHL and ECHL.
Porter is in his second season with USA Hockey’s NTDP as an assistant coach of the U.S. National Under-18 Team. An NTDP alum, Porter previously served as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Wikes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for four seasons (2020-24) and as a volunteer assistant coach at the NTDP for part of the 2020-21 season. Before beginning his coaching career, Porter played 12 seasons (2008-20) in the NHL and AHL, including as a member of the 2016 Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins. He spent four seasons (2004-08) at the University of Michigan, where he served as captain and won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award during his senior season. He has represented the U.S. in two IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championships and two IIHF World Junior Championships, including in 2006 when he served as team captain.
The Team White staff also includes athletic trainer Callie Sitter (Waukesha, Wis.) from Muskegon and equipment manager Colin Fairfield (Muskegon, Mich.), also from Muskegon.
NOTES: The Chipotle All-American Game is an annual showcase of the top NHL draft-eligible players from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, and other teams in United States Hockey League, the nation’s only Tier 1 junior hockey league …Chipotle and TRUE are official sponsors of the Chipotle All-American Game … For more information on the Chipotle All-American Game click here.