Grier, Salvador excited to coach all-minority team at tournament

Former NHL players
Mike Grier
and
Bryce Salvador
will coach an all-minority team at a New England hockey tournament this weekend.

Grier and Salvador will coach the NextGen AAA Foundation's team at the invitation-only Beantown Summer Classic in Exeter, New Hampshire from Aug. 8-11. The Under-20 team consists of 19 Black players and one Hispanic player who were recruited by Rod Braceful, the assistant director of player personnel for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.
Several of the players are college-bound, including forward
Reggie Millette, who committed to American International College for 2021-22
, defenseman Christian Jimenez, who'll play for Harvard in 2021-22, and forward Ross Mitton, who'll join Colgate in 2020-21.

Reggie Millette
Grier, an assistant with the New Jersey Devils and the only Black to work behind an NHL bench during games this season, said he's excited about guiding the tournament team.
"I'm extremely happy and grateful to work with this group of talented players," he said.
So is Salvador, an MSG Networks hockey analyst who became the NHL's third Black captain during his time with the Devils.
"The game of hockey continues to increase the number of diverse players with the talent and skill to compete in college, in the minors, and the NHL, and supporting organizations like NextGen, who develop those pathways, is vital," he said.

Ross Mitton
The NHL and Pure Hockey are sponsors of the New Hampshire-bound team.
The NextGen Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring, education and hockey programs to underprivileged youth and underserved communities. It was founded in 2017 by philanthropist Dee Dee Ricks, who has provided more than $1 million to help Black and brown student-athletes at some of the nation's leading preparatory schools, colleges and travel hockey programs throughout North America."
"NextGen is carving out a pipeline of diverse, elite-level hockey talent," said Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives and Legislative Affairs. "We believe that in the near future, more teams across the continent will feature more players of color, and this NextGen team is a strong signal that we are moving closer to that day."