prohockeypod

Episode 73: Rob Bentivegna. Brock University Assistant Coach Rob Bentivegna joined the prohockeypod this week. Rob and I crossed paths often in Burlington, both in hockey arenas and on the softball pitch. Rob played in the Burlington Eagle’s minor hockey system before making the jump to Junior B. Once Rob was done playing, he immediately started running ice sessions as a skill coach. Word travelled fast in the GTA area and soon Rob had players from the NHL, AHL, NCAA, OHL and pro in Europe. I remember participating in this skates and was always fascinated by the detail Rob put into them. It was a good mix of working on individual skills and also game situation drills. I find that is often missing today when we think of skills practices/coaches. Rob also had the fire to be a coach and has worked his way up the ranks. He started at the AAA level in Oakville, then made the jump to the OJHL before making the transition to USports. He is currently in his 2nd season at Brock University. Rob is a big believer in giving back to minor hockey and hopes to continue to do that in the future. It is always good to see people like this who enjoy working and developing the next generation of athletes. If you are looking for someone to work with your child in ice hockey, Rob would be a good candidate. Hope you enjoy!  

Episode 72: Andrew Dovey. Another fellow Burlington raised hockey player joined the prohockeypod this week. Andrew Dovey didn’t have the usual Canadian hockey path. He didn’t play AAA hockey until his OHL draft year and ended up playing Tier 2 junior until he was 21. We talked about some memories of junior, including going all the way to the Sunderland Cup Finals in his last season. Andrew would go on to D3 Adrian College, where funny enough, we would play against each other 2 times in the playoffs (1-1). Dovey would play 1 year of pro in the SPHL after college before transitioning to coaching. He would go to Canisius College as a Graduate Assistant for 2 seasons which lead to him where he is today at University of Toronto in USports. Andrew talked about all he has learned along his journey and how he tries to share his experiences with his athletes at UofT. We also mentioned early how it is awesome to see how many people from Burlington who went on to have long playing careers or have gotten into coaching. A testament to the city of Burlington and how many players have developed in the Eagles system. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 71: TJ Manastersky. Fellow Oswego Alumni and current Head Coach of Brock University, TJ Manastersky, stopped by the prohockeypod this week. TJ grew up in the GTA area and would end up playing 5 years in the OJHL before heading off to D3 SUNY-Oswego. We swapped stories about Oswego, the great community support the team gets, Bridge Street Runs, and some funny memories of the historic Oswego/Plattsburgh rivalry. After College, TJ would play 1 year professionally in the SPHL before transitioning to coaching. He was given a chance to get his foot in the door at Canisius College for 2 season before going to SUNY-Fredonia. He would get his first Head Coaching job at Curry College where he stayed for 9 seasons, helping to turn the program around and become a strong contender. After a brief stop with D1 Union College, TJ would find a home at Brock University. It didn’t take him long to make an impact. In his 2nd season, the team would have their best year in school program history and TJ would win Coach of the Year. One part of the interview that really stood out to me was when we talked about how TJ establishes his culture at his schools. He takes into consideration the school history/community involved as well as his players. How do they see the culture? What do they want to be viewed as? Questions like these. Ultimately this leads to teams creating their own identity and running with it. Another great episode so give it a listen and hope you enjoy!

Episode 70: Brian Riley. Legendary Army Coach Brian Riley doesn’t need any introduction. His resume and the impact he has made at West Point speaks for itself. All the Riley family members are born into the sport of hockey and have no choice but to be involved. Brian was no different. Brian grew up at West Point while his dad was coaching the team and he talked about some memories of him living at the rink. He went on to play at Brown University before transitioning to coaching. He started at D3 SUNY-Plattsburgh, where he won 2 D3 NCAA Championships, before returning home to Army to coach along side his brother Rob. After many years coaching together, Rob decided to move on and Brian recalls a big moment in his career, when he was interviewed for the Head Coaching job at West Point. Brian met with the Director and immediately explained how they need to change some players and incorporate a strong culture. This took a lot of courage to do in an interview but it paid off as Brian was hired and has been the HC at Army ever since. He has been Coach of the Year 4 times and helped Army win their only Conference Title in school history in 07/08. He is a big believer in the “Power of One” and this tradition they have started is quite fascinating and meaningful. Brian is in his final season of coaching and wrapping up a 39 year career. A great accomplishment. It was awesome to get some time to talk with him and I wish him well in retirement. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 69: Jean-François Houle. Quick and sweet interview this week with the Head Coach of Clarkson University Jean-Francois Houle. He only had about 25 minutes to spare so we buzzed through both his playing career and coaching. JF had a unique upbringing since his dad was an NHL player, so immediately he was around the dressing room and hockey was injected into his veins. JF would go on to get drafted to his hometown team the Montreal Canadians (the team his dad played 11 seasons for) and receive a D1 scholarship to Clarkson University. He would have 4 successful seasons at Clarkson before starting his Pro career for the next 5 seasons. As soon as JF retired, he knew he wanted to get into coaching and returned home to Clarkson University for 7 seasons as an Assistant Coach. JF is a strong believer in moving around as a young coach to try to learn as much as you can from multiple people. Pulling pieces from each coach that you like to create your own DNA as a coach is very important. He did exactly that, coaching at various levels of hockey as an Assistant Coach or Head Coach, including AHL, ECHL, QMJHL and NCAA. He was awarded HC of the Year in the QMJHL when he was with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 11/12. He has recently returned home to Clarkson University as their new Head Coach. Even though it was short, it was great talking to Mr. Houle. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 68: Wayne Wilson. I was lucky to get Wayne Wilson, the legendary coach from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) to hop on the prohockeypod this week for 35 minutes. Wayne went to Bowling Green State University where he won a National Championship in 1984 before embarking on his coaching career. He was able to work under the legendary coach Jerry York for a few years and learn the ropes. A chance to become a Head Coach at D3 RIT came open and Wayne didn’t hesitate. He went on to win Coach of the Year in his 2nd season and a few years later, RIT made the jump to D1 hockey. After being promoted to D1, RIT continued to have success which resulted in Wayne winning D1 Coach of the Year in 09/10. For a school that didn’t have athletic scholarships until just recently, Wayne has consistently built solid programs and been competitive each season. One of his great memories is from 2010 when RIT made it to the Frozen Four. He is very humble, full of experience/knowledge and I was happy to get the chance to speak with him. Hope you enjoy!

Canisius College Head Coach, Trevor Large dropped by the prohockeypod this week. Like most Canadian’s, he was attracted to hockey at a young age. One interesting thing about his story is that he quit hockey during his OHL draft year out of nowhere. A year later, Trevor missed the game and decided to make a comeback, earning a spot with a Tier 2 Junior A team in Brampton. This decision led him to Ferris State University and earning a degree. He joined the real world for two years as a computer programmer, but then soon realized he missed being in the game of hockey. He and his fiancé at the time, took a chance on an unpaid graduate assistant position at AIC. This decision and him paying his dues for two years led him to an assistant coaching job at Army West Point for 6 seasons, before transferring to Canisius College as an Assistant Coach and now in his 8th season as Head Coach. We talked about what he has learned over the years and how he has helped Canisius win an Atlantic Hockey Championship in 2023. His teams are built on culture and 3 important things he looks for in recruiting players: positive, competitive, and team first. Very simple but effective. We also both talked about the “want” and “pride” to play for your college and wear their badge. Something I think is sometimes lost on our athletes today. In the example of Canisius, once a Griff, always a Griff. That means something to the players Trevor recruits. It was really good to talk to Trevor Large and I hope you enjoy!

Episode 66: Brett Riley. Very happy to get the chance to have Long Island University Head Coach Brett Riley hop on the prohockeypod this week. When you think of the Riley family, you think of hockey and coaching. Brett's dad, Rob, had a long career in coaching at West Point and is now a scout for the Colorado Avalanche. Brett's uncle, Brian, is in his 33rd and final season of coaching at West Point. Brett's grandfather, Jack, was the Head Coach at West Point for 36 years. Safe to say that Brett didn't have a choice but to get into hockey at a young age. Brett was a D3 athlete, like myself, who went to Hobart College. Funny enough, we actually played a few times against each other. Brett was always eager to coach and was even commuting during his senior year to recruit players for his US Prep school team, that he was becoming the HC for next season. He has always enjoyed building programs from the ground up and the effort that goes into doing so. He first did this at D3 Wilkes University and has been doing it for the past 5 years at D1 Long Island University. He talks a lot of pride in his "blue collar" teams and never being outworked. That is something I respect. Honestly, after talking to Brett and hearing him speak about hockey and his family background, it is no surprise that he has risen up the coaching ranks so quickly. If you want to see what it takes to rise quickly and be a student of the game, then this episode is a must listen. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 65: Scott Sandelin. The prohockeypod was honoured to have long time NCAA D1 Head Coach Scott Sandelin come on this week. Scott is currently in his 25th season as Head Coach at Minnesota-Duluth University. A draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, Scott played D1 hockey himself at North Dakota before embarking on a 7 year professional playing career. Scott retired at the age of 28 and jumped immediately into coaching. He went back to North Dakota University as an Assistant Coach, learning from Dean Blais and was able to win 2 National Championships in his 6 years there. He then made the jump to Head Coach at Minnesota-Duluth and his resume/record speaks for itself. 3 National Championships (2011/2018/2019), multiple NCCA tournament appearances, and Coach of the Year (03/04), just to name a few. Scott is also very proud of the fact that his athletes have the most “free agent” NHL games of any D1 school. We talked a lot about his coaching philosophies, what he has learned over the years and the types of players he likes to recruit. It was awesome to talk hockey with Scott and I am happy he had some time for me. Hope you enjoy!

Colgate University alumni and Head Coach Mike Harder stopped by the prohockeypod this week. Mike has always held Colgate close to his heart and has taken pride in always giving back in some way. He has been part of school on many forms, whether it was first as a player, then volunteer then Assistant Coach and now Head Coach. He bleeds Maroon. I actually played my first college career game @ Colgate so we joked about how it has a different special meaning for me. We talked about his journey through pro hockey and his venture over to Europe. He was part of 2 Championship teams, one in the AHL and one in Germany. After his playing career ended, Mile jumped immediately into coaching in Italy and there was never a question of what he would do after. I feel like this whole episode we were just laughing and smiling, talking about his career and memories from his playing days. His passion for hockey and being at the rink is clear. Really enjoyed talking to Mike and I believe he enjoyed sharing his story. Hope you enjoy!