Coming off of his first season behind the bench of his alma mater, men’s hockey head coach Casey Jones ’90 is accepting a new role in addition to his collegiate coaching. Jones will serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. Collegiate Selects team in the 2026 Spengler Cup.
“I'm excited about the opportunity,” Jones told The Sun. “I think we've been pushing hard for [the] college to create an all-star team like that, and this event is a huge deal.”
The Spengler Cup is a historic ice hockey tournament hosted by Hockey Club Davos of the National League, Switzerland’s top circuit. The 2026, and 98th, tournament will be played from Dec. 26 to 31 in Davos, Switzerland, featuring top European teams such as the SC Langnau Tigers (National League), Adler Mannheim (Deutsche Eishockey Liga), Ilves Tampere (Liiga), Frölunda HC (Swedish Hockey League) and Hockey Club Davos (National League) in addition to the U.S. Collegiate Selects.
The U.S. Collegiate Selects team returns to the tournament after its first iteration last year. That team featured senior forward Ryan Walsh, the Red’s team captain, who recorded two points, a goal and an assist in the championship game, en route to a second-place finish.
“I thought they did a great job of it last year,” Jones said. “The feedback from Ryan [Walsh], who was there last year, and the coaching staff was that the experience was phenomenal.”
The Selects are an all-star team of the top NCAA Division I hockey players. Due to the timing of the tournament, many eligible NCAA players will be unavailable to compete due to the conflicting International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Tournament.
“It does flow okay with our schedule,” Jones said. “So, [it’s an] opportunity to be a part of that and represent college hockey, and obviously certainly a little recognition from it on the recruiting trail with the prospects looking at [the team]. It can only help [Cornell’s] program as well.”
Jones will serve alongside Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin and under New Hampshire head coach Mike Souza, who was an assistant coach of the Selects team last year. Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky coached the team last year, which featured five players from the Nittany Lions and one player from then assistant coach Souza’s New Hampshire squad.
If the previous roster construction is any indicator, Cornell is likely to be well represented at the tournament.
The Selects team will play its first game on Dec. 26 against reigning Champions Hockey League winners, Frolunda HC.
The Cornell Sun Hockey Beat will provide further updates on the tournament as more information is announced.
