Elite Players' Mindset & Development with Don Granato -- USA Hockey NTDP

USA Hockey High Performance Symposium presentation on working with elite players and how their mindset affects ongoing development.
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Don Granato recently completed his fourth season as a head coach at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, while also leading the U.S. National Under-18 Team to a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Championship in Switzerland. Additionally, Granato helped guide the U.S. National Junior Team as an assistant coach at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal.
In 2013-14, Granato guided the U.S. National Under-17 Team to a trio of international titles, claiming the top prize in the 2013 Four Nations Tournament in Prievidza, Slovakia, the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and the 2014 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Sundsvall, Sweden.
In 2012-13, Granato helped the U.S. National Under-18 Team capture first place at the 2012 Four Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, and led the team to a silver-medal performance at the 2013 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship in Sochi, Russia. Granato also guided his team to an 11-6-4 (W-L-T) record against NCAA Division I and III schools, the best winning percentage (.619) against collegiate opponents in the history of the NTDP.
That same season, Granato served as an assistant coach at the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo, N.Y.
During the 2011-12 campaign, his first with the NTDP, Granato led his U.S. National Under-17 Team to first-place finishes at the 2012 Vlad Dzurilla Under-18 Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia, and the 2011 Four Nations Cup in Balishikha, Russia. His team also placed second at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ont.
Beyond his USA Hockey experience, Granato was also an assistant coach with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues in 2005-06, an AHL head coach with the Chicago Wolves (2008-10) and scouted for the Vancouver Canucks in 2010-11. As head coach of the AHL’s Worcester Ice Cats from 2000-05, Granato amassed more victories than any coach in team history (191) and was named AHL coach of the year in 2001.
A native of Illinois, Granato was a four-year letterman at the University of Wisconsin (1987-91), helping the Badgers to the NCAA title in 1990.