Mavericks' Nathan Smith Named to U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team; Maverick Head Coach Mike Hastings an Assistant Coach on Olympic Team
Minnesota State University, Mankato Department of Intercollegiate Athletics News Release
Mankato, Minn. -- Minnesota State men's hockey junior center Nathan Smith has been named to Team USA for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. (Click here for the athletic department release.)
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled for Feb. 4-20 in Beijing, China.
Smith (pictured top right), a Hudson, Fla., native and a three-time Central Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Week honoree this year, leads the country in scoring with 13-20--33. Selected in the third round (91st overall) by Winnipeg in 2018 National Hockey League entry draft, Smith's moved into a tie for 29th on Minnesota State's career scoring list with 31-54--85 in 85 career games played. He was named to the All-Tournament team last year as Minnesota State advanced to the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four for the first time.
Smith will join David Backes as Minnesota State men's hockey players to have played in the Winter Olympics. Backes played for Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Maverick Men's Hockey Head Coach Mike Hastings Named an Assistant Coach on Olympic Team
Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings is also an assistant coach with the 2022 U.S. Men's Hockey Olympic Team. (Click here for the athletic department release.)
Hastings (pictured bottom right) will be behind the bench of a U.S. team for the sixth time, with his last appearance as head coach of the silver medal-winning U.S. National Junior Team at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.
An assistant coach for the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team, Hastings filled the same role with the 2003 U.S. National Junior Team and twice served as head coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team, including in 2000 when Team USA won the Viking Cup.
In his 10th season as head coach of the Minnesota State men's ice hockey team, where he has transformed the program into a national powerhouse, Hastings has led the Mavericks to more wins than any other team in the nation with a 236-89-24 mark entering the 2021-22 season.
His teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament on six occasions, including a trip to the Frozen Four in 2021; won six Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season titles, including an unprecedented four consecutive (2018-21); and three league post-season championships.
