Former Avalanche Forward Leads Teams USA to Hlinka Gretzky Cup Championship

Team USA captured the Hlinka Gretzky Cup championship Saturday after defeating Team Sweden 5-3 in the final match.

Their head coach? Former Avalanche forward Kevin Porter.

Porter won the Hobey Baker Award with the Michigan Wolverines in 2007-08 after a 33-goal, 63-point senior season. He went on to sign an entry-level contract with the Phoenix Coyotes and spent parts of two seasons there.

At the 2010 trade deadline, the Avs, who were in contention for a playoff spot, shockingly traded one of their top point producers Wojtek Wolski in a trade that brought Peter Mueller and Porter to Colorado.

Porter had his best NHL season in 2010-11 with the Avalanche, scoring 14 goals and adding 11 assists in 74 games. His Avs tenure lasted three years and made up 35 of his 58 career points.

He retired as a player following the 2016-17 season and transitioned into coaching. The 39-year-old Northville, Michigan native spent four years as an AHL assistant coach in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization from 2020-2024 before landing the USA Hockey gig.

The Hlinka Gretzky Cup is an annual under-18 best-on-best international hockey tournament often featuring the best up-and-coming prospects in the game.