Episode 88: Tom Upton. Tom first grew up on Long Island and shared some memories of going to Islander’s games as a kid. He would move to Austin, Texas at 10 years old which was a different hockey experience for him. He would go on to play parts of 4 seasons in the NAHL before deciding to attend D3 Wisconsin Stevens-Point University. He talked about his amazing 4 years there and how he is still close with a group of teammates to this day. One of them is last week’s guest, Anthony Noreen, who both played with and coached Tom at UWSP. After graduating, Tom would also stay on as an Assistant Coach and begin his coaching journey. This journey has taken Tom through various leagues such as the USHL, NAHL and NCAA Division 1. Tom is now in his 4th season at the University of Massachusetts, working under a veteran coach in Greg Carvel. We talked about his crazy route to where he is and what he has learned along the way. I was also curious to Coach Carvel’s impact on Tom. Tom brought up the word “hard” and that is a common theme at UMass. Everyone needs to be hard and Tom gave many examples of what it means. It is easy to see why UMass has been on a great path for the past 10+ seasons and why Tom is a good fit there. Like anyone, he still has dreams and one of those is the NHL. A potential awesome achievement for a kid from Texas. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 87: Anthony Noreen. After a little break, the prohockeypod returned this week with Miami of Ohio Head Coach Anthony Noreen. Anthony has been a journey man who coached 16 years in various leagues before getting this NCAA Division 1 job. He grew up in the Chicago area and was immediately integrated into hockey from his father. Anthony would go through Junior hockey before heading off to D3 Wisconsin Stevens-Point. He talked about how he went on a visit with a teammate and fell in love with the set up right away. He knew this is where he wanted to be. After 4 years of playing, Anthony would stay at this University as a Graduate Assistant Coach. He took on a lot of roles and was “thrown into the fire” right away, while not earning any salary. After Wisconsin, Anthony would get a job in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms. Over 5 seasons, he would help get the club on the right path and also win Coach of the Year in 14/15. A pro coaching opportunity would come available with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL (who were affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs). Anthony talked about his 2 years there and how he learned a lot observing from affiliated coaches. He would then return to the USHL, this time with the Tri-City Storm, where he would spend 7 seasons as HC and GM. During this time, he would win Coach of the Year 2 more times, as well as win a Gold Medal with Team USA U19 in 2018/2019. Finally after so many years of grinding and building his resume, Anthony received the Head Coaching job at Miami of Ohio University. He talked about how it was a dream come true and how he had been there previously years before which solidified his desire to coach there one day. We talked about his journey, the campus, set up and how he likes to build his teams. He is very excited about the future/potential at Miami of Ohio and it was clear how true his passion is. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 86: Marc Langbein. It was good to finally have on an agent who I see around the rinks a lot here in Germany, Marc Langbein. Marc grew up in the Bietigheim area in Germany and so began his passion for hockey. Marc cofounded Win-Win Sports Agency back in 2018. On this episode, we talked a lot about the agency business, some things Marc has learned along the way, and as well as the types of clients they look to attract at Win-Win. For me, it was nice to have a look into Marc’s life and the philosophy they have within the agency. Marc talked about the grind of starting out and how the company has grown over the years. He also touched on a personal achievement from the company when one of their athletes was drafted in the 4th round to the NHL in 2024. Small victories like this are part of the reasons agents like Marc have a passion for their job. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 85: Damon Whitten. Lake Superior State University HC Damon Whitten joined the prohockeypod this week. He started his hockey career as a goalie and played until he was in his Junior year of highschool before switching to forward. It seemed to be an easy transition as Damon would go on to play tier 2 junior hockey in multiple leagues before heading off to Michigan State University. He would spend 4 years there playing alongside the likes of goalie Ryan Miller and forward Shawn Horcoff, both who went on to have respectable NHL careers. After school, Damon spent 2 years in the ECHL where he won a Kelly Cup with the Greenville Grrrowl. After this, Damon would make the switch to coaching and spend 2 years at Wayne State University. Damon then moved to Univ. Of Alaska-Anchorage where I was very eager to talk to him about his living experiences. He joked about seeing a lot of wild life but enjoyed his time there. Damon would then get a chance back at Michigan State as Director of Hockey Operations. I picked his brain about his day to day responsibilities and how he felt it was a very importance experience for his coaching career. Damon went on to Michigan Tech for 4 years, coaching a buddy of mine, before getting his first HC job at Lake Superior, where he has been stationed for the past 11 seasons. This episode is full of great helpful experiences as well as advice for any young coaches out there. Happy Damon had the time to share them with me. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 84: Ben Syer. Ben grew up in a small town and was drawn to hockey immediately. Coming from a family of teacher’s, Ben knew the act of hard work and earning everything you got. He would go on to play Junior B hockey before attending Western University. After University, Ben would get an opportunity at Quinnipiac University that would change his career path forever. Since this opportunity, Ben has been involved in college hockey for the past 20 + years. He worked 10+ years at Quinnipiac University, 13 years at Cornell before moving on to Princeton where he just finished his first season as Head Coach. We joked about his early days of recruiting where he carried around a huge binder with players names and contacts in it. We talked about how he learned over the years of working alongside great coaches and how he was ready to make the jump to the big chair. Ben also shared the types of players he looks to recruit at his programs. Unfortunately the video feed malfunctioned a bit and only works when I am speaking. Luckily the audio from Ben is still there so you can hear him speaking. It was great to talk to Ben and someone who has been involved in college hockey for so long. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 83: Stephen Wiedler. Stephen grew up in the New York area and was naturally a New York Rangers fan. We talked about his funny memories of the Stanley Cup run in 1994 and what it was like to witness it. Stephen would eventually find himself at D3 Elmira College before transferring to University of Southern Maine where he would play 3 seasons and even be captain. After college, Stephen would play 2 years of pro in the SPHL before landing a coaching job at Curry College, coached by TJ Manastersky. Stephen and I talked about his grind the first couple years of working hard with little money and not ideal living arrangements while at Curry. I brought up a funny story about a concept called the “rattle jar”, which was essentially a jar that the head coach would have to donate money to when he sent the assistant coaches on a nonsense mission. This funny tradition started at Curry College with TJ. Stephen would then head to D1 American International College (AIC) where he would spend 5 seasons and learning from Eric Lang. Stephen would then switch to University of Vermont, where he has recently finished his 1st season as HC. We also talked about what it means to be a Catamount and the characteristics behind the type of hockey they try to play at UofV. I always enjoy talking to fellow D3 graduates who have made their way up the ranks in the sport of hockey. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 82: Rico Blasi. Rico grew up in the Toronto area in an Italian family that knew nothing of ice hockey. He got his introduction on the outdoor rinks in the GTA and this is where he first got the passion for hockey. He was lucky to be coached at a young age by the famous Stan Butler who taught Rico a lot about the game of hockey and different paths available. Rico would go on to attend D1 Miami of Ohio University on a hockey scholarship for 4 years, which was an up and coming program. After a few brief stops in pro hockey and coaching his old junior team, Rico would get a chance at the University of Denver as an Assistant Coach for 4 seasons. In 1999, Rico’s old university was in search of a new Head Coach and Rico thought he should just put his name in for the sake of it. Turns out it was a great idea as Rico was hired and would spend the next 20 seasons as Head Coach of Miami of Ohio. Over this time he helped shape the program and would help them achieve 2 Frozen Four appearances as well as NCAA Runner Up in 2009. This long run also saw Rico win multiple coaching awards including NCAA Coach of the Year in 2006. During Covid, Nate Leaman from Providence University would reach out to Rico about an opening as the Director of Administration for the college. This was a new challenge for Rico that he knew nothing about but he is happy he did it as he was able to continue to grow his resume and network in NCAA. In 21/22, new D1 school, University of St. Thomas would come knocking with interest in Rico to be their new Head Coach, where he has been ever since. We talked about the process of building a new D1 program, some of the rules I wasn’t aware of, as well as some other interesting facts about the school that not many people would know. It is awesome to see someone from the GTA thriving in college hockey and I am happy Rico was able to share some time with me. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 81: Frank Serratore. We had Army’s HC on in the past so this week it was time for Air Force Academy’s Frank Serratore to join the prohockeypod. The 25/26 season will be Frank’s 29th season at Air Force and we talked about how he has continuously built solid teams over his time there. Frank is from Minnesota, and like me, was a goalie growing up. Our goalie chemistry was instantly there throughout the episode. What can I say, great minds think alike. Frank would go on to play D1 hockey at Western Michigan University for 2 seasons before transferring to Bemidji State. This is where Frank would get a intro to coaching, learning from Coach Bob Peters, which ignited his fire to coach. After school, Frank would be a HC/GM in the USHL for 5 years before becoming an Assistant Coach at the University of North Dakota. A few years passed and Frank was awarded the opportunity to become HC of the University of Denver. We talked about Frank’s quick rise and if he felt he was ready at the time to be a HC. After 4 years at Denver, Frank would get a chance in Pro hockey with the Minnesota/Manitoba Moose of the IHL. After that, Air Force Academy was in need for a coach and Frank’s name came up. After speaking to his wife, he interviewed for the job and it ended up being a great decision, as he has been there ever since. We talked about the academy, the types of players they look to recruit and how they continue to stay competitive, even though they can’t use certain advantages that other NCAA programs have access to (portal, transfers, 5th year). It was really interesting to talk to Frank and his knowledge/love of the game. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 80: Stefan Decosse. Stefan grew up in the Vancouver area, right around the time the Canucks made their 1994 Stanley Cup final run. This was his first introduction to hockey. He would eventually make the jump to the BCHL before heading to D3 SUNY Geneseo. Funny enough, our teams actually played against each other regularly so we went down memory lane with our school battles and fan sections. Stefan would spend 4 years at Geneseo. He then did what your typical coach does, take years off to backpack around the world. What a life experience and something Stefan recommends to anyone out there willing to give it a try. Stefan then ended up at York University working on his thesis and decided he would get into minor hockey as a coach. They ended up being a wagon and winning the championship. This gave Stefan the idea of continuing his work as a coach and he got gull support from his wife. Stefan would sit down with the Women’s HC at Colgate University and immediately showed his love/determination for the game. He would start as a volunteer coach before doing 8 years as an Assistant Coach and now just finished his first season as Head Coach. We talked a lot about Stefan’s passion for Women’s hockey, the types of athletes he looks to recruit at Colgate and the satisfaction he gets from seeing his players move on to the PWHL. Stefan was smiling the whole episode and we had some good laughs. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 79: Chris MacKenzie. UConn Women’s hockey coach Chris MacKenzie joined the prohockeypod this week. Chris grew up in Niagara Falls where he played minor hockey before jumping to Junior C and then Junior B. We talked about how him going level by level was good for his development. Ending his junior career with an Ontario championship, Chris took at chance and committed to a brand new D3 school, Niagara University. This new powerhouse was coached by Blaise MacDonald, who would have a big impact on Chris’s life and career. Niagara would play 2 years at D3, win a championship in year 2 before being promoted to D1, where they didn’t miss a step. They would beat a lot of top teams as a new program and went on an NCAA Tournament run in Chris’s senior season. After graduating, Chris would head to Finland to play a year of pro hockey with TPS. After that season, Chris would get a job as an Assistant Coach at UMass-Lowell, who was coached by Blaise MacDonald. We talked about his 8 seasons there and how he continued to learn from Blaise. After Lowell, Chris would return to Niagara University as a Head Coach, but on the Women’s side. This is where we would cross paths, as I was in my freshman year at Niagara. The Women’s program would be shut down a few years later and Chris ended up at University of Connecticut as the Women’s HC. We talked about the type of athlete’s he looks to recruit at UConn, where he found the program and how much they have progressed over his 12 seasons (and counting), capped off by a division championship and NCAA Tournament bid in 23/24. We also dove into how the women’s game has grown over the years and where Chris sees it continuing to go. Hope you enjoy!