2007 Head Coach Chad Cassel

July 25, 2006

USA Hockey also announced that the 2006 USA Hockey Winter World University Games Identification Camp will be held August 4-6 at the Chiller Easton Olympic-sized ice rink in Columbus, Ohio. The identification camp will consist of four teams – Red, White, Blue and Green – each comprising 23-24 players and competing in a three-game, round-robin format. Each of the players and the 12 coaches at the camp are members of USA Hockey and the ACHA. Following the camp, 22 players and two assistant coaches will be identified for the United States University Select Team.

Cassel is returning to the U.S. University Select Team coaching ranks for the fourth time, having served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Winter World University Games in 2001 and 2003, before being slated for the head coaching position at the 2005 Games.

He is currently in his tenth year as head coach at the University of Illinois. During his first nine seasons, he compiled a 228-86-13 record with nine consecutive ACHA Division I National Championship Tournament appearances, including six trips to the final four (1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006). The 2005 campaign ended with Illinois winning their first-ever ACHA National Championship in Bensenville, Ill. Cassel reached the 200-win milestone in October of 2005 and set the Illini hockey club record for most wins by a coach a month later. 

Before becoming head coach, Cassel played for the Illini from 1993-95 and was named team captain. He set the single-season assist mark in 1994 and earned All-Central States Collegiate Hockey League honors and the league’s best defenseman award in 1995. Following his playing career, Cassel returned to the team as an assistant coach before taking the reins as head coach in 1997.

USA Hockey also announced that Ashley Bevan (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will serve as team leader of the 2007 U.S. University Select Team and Scott Aldrich (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will be the equipment manager.

A member of the USA Hockey national office staff for the past six years, Bevan is making his third appearance as a team leader with the U.S. University Select Team. He has been involved in USA Hockey’s adult hockey program for the past six years and was appointed director of adult hockey in September 2003. In his current role, Bevan oversees USA Hockey’s 87,000 adult members, as well as USA Hockey’s relationship with the ACHA. He joined USA Hockey in April of 1998 as coordinator of events administration for USA Hockey InLine. Earlier, Bevan worked as the National Sports Program Coordinator for the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, and within the membership development department of the National In-Line Hockey Association.

Aldrich is the manager of adult hockey for USA Hockey and has been a member of the national office staff since October of 2003. He oversees the coordination of USA Hockey Adult National Championships and various recreational tournaments, as well as USA Hockey adult hockey clinics and special events. Prior to joining USA Hockey, Aldrich served as equipment supervisor for Michigan Technological University from 1996-2001 before moving on to the role of equipment manager for the Columbia Inferno of the East Coast Hockey League from 2001-03

NOTES: The 2006 USA Hockey Winter World University Games Identification Camp will have 93 players in attendance … Players from 34 different schools will take the ice in Columbus … The University of Illinois will have 10 players attending, while Ohio University will have eight representatives at the Camp … The University of Rhode Island and Penn State University will also be well represented, with six players from each school in attendance … Two assistant coaches will be named following the Camp … The selection of players for the 2007 United States University Select Team will be made no later than October 31, 2006 … Cassel is a USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach.