Former NHL goalie Robb Stauber will coach the U.S. women’s hockey team at the world championships, which start March 31 in Plymouth, Michigan.

“We look forward to having Robb continue leading our team at the world championship,” Reagan Carey, director of women’s hockey, said in a statement Monday. “We have a strong coaching staff overall and I know everyone is excited about the challenge ahead, particularly the chance to defend our gold medal on home ice.”

The players for the worlds will be announced today.

The U.S. is the three-time defending world champion and has played Canada for the gold medal in all 17 of the previous events. But the Americans have not won a gold medal in the Winter Games since 1998, the first year the sport was in the Olympics

Following an overtime loss to Canada in the gold medal game at the 2014 Olympics, USA Hockey decided to name the women’s team coach for individual events, rather than a longer term. Former NHL defenseman Ken Klee coached the Americans to victories at the last two world championships, but he was replaced by Stauber for a pair of exhibitions against Canada in December.