Former Omaha player, director of hockey operations and assistant coach Nick Fohr has been named the head coach of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, USA Hockey announced Friday.

Fohr was a forward for the Mavericks from 1998-2002, racking up 26 points in his career. He immediately joined coach Mike Kemp's staff as a student assistant after his playing days were over and then returned as Kemp's director of hockey operations for three seasons after a year as a Miami assistant.

In 2007, he became an Omaha assistant and remained on the staff of Kemp's successor, Dean Blais, until joining the USNTDP in 2011. He had remained an assistant coach in that program until Friday.

"It is an honor for me to be named head coach at the National Team Development Program," Fohr said in a press release. "I know how high the standard has been set, and I'm excited to be able to continue the great coaching tradition at the NTDP. I'd like to thank Scott Monaghan and Pat Kelleher for putting their trust in me, as well as all the coaches I've learned from during my time with USA Hockey." 

Fohr, 44, will coach the U.S. National Under-17 team for the 2022-23 hockey season.

"We are extremely proud to be able to promote from within our organization as we've seen firsthand what Nick is capable of," said Scott Monaghan, the assistant executive director at USA Hockey for the NTDP and USA Hockey Arena. "Nick brings great experience, passion and knowledge, and we are excited to have him as our new head coach."