Mullen, Johnson to coach at USA Prospects Game

Two of the most respected and recognizable members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, Mark Johnson and Joe Mullen, were named coaches for the second annual CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, slated for Sept. 26 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

The game will feature 40 of the top American-born prospects eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft, which will be held at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The participants in this year's game will be announced at a later date.

It seems fitting Johnson and Mullen will each coach a team in Pittsburgh; they are former Penguins players. They also are Lester Patrick Trophy recipients for their outstanding service to hockey in the United States.

As a player, Johnson represented the United States at 12 major international tournaments, including the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., where he played on the "Miracle on Ice" squad under the guidance of coach Herb Brooks. Johnson is coach of the University of Wisconsin-Madison women's ice hockey team.

He began his 11-season NHL career in Pittsburgh before moving on to the Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils. In 669 career games, he had 203 goals and 305 assists. He was an NHL All-Star in 1983-84. He served as coach of the U.S. Women's National Team for four years, earning a silver medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

During the 1980 Olympics, Johnson posted a team-best 11 points, including five goals, during his team's gold-medal run. He would wear the USA sweater at eight Men's World Championships (1978-79, 1981-82, 1985-87, 1990) and three Canada Cups (1981, 1984, 1987).

Johnson was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 2011.

Mullen, who is an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers, was the first American-born NHL player to record 500 career goals and 1,000 career points. In 17-plus seasons, he produced 502 goals and 561 assists in 1,062 games. In addition to the Penguins, Mullen played for the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins. He's a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning with the Flames in 1989 and with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.

Mullen skated for the United States at the 1979 IIHF Men's World Championship and in three Canada Cups (1984, 1987, 1991). The New York native was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. He earned the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1995.

The 2012 All-American Prospects Game, held at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y., featured NHL Central Scouting's No. 1-ranked North American prospect for the 2013 draft: defenseman Seth Jones of the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks.