Most Junior hockey fans understand that success the Eastern Hockey League has had in putting players into NCAA hockey. With over 1700 NCAA commitments to its credit, the EHL has been a terrific fit for players to develop and mature their games before making the jump to college hockey.
The league, to its credit, has also done a tremendous job in developing coaches and administrators. With this article, we look back on several coaches who have coached in the EHL and then moved onto NCAA hockey. These coaches have sharpened and honed their skills coaching in the EHL and then used their experience to now coach at the NCAA level.
Many EHL or EHLP coaches have moved through the league and now find themselves coaching at the NCAA Division III level. These include Jim Mosso (Vermont Lumberjacks to Concordia- Wisconsin), and Josh Fusco (Team Maryland to Franklin Pierce). Others, including Vinny Calguiri have moved onto roles at the NCAA Division I level (NH Avalanche to Head of Hockey Operations at Princeton University).
Jenine Weber and Ryan Durocher are exceptional young coaches who are coaching the womens and mens games at the NCAA Division 1 level and look back on their experiences coaching in the EHL as integral parts of their development. “I had a great experience coaching in the EHL. I always felt welcome by the other teams and coaches. The competitive schedule we had with HC Rhode Island prepared me for this next opportunity of coaching at Holy Cross.” commented Weber, now the assistant women’s hockey coach at Holy Cross. Durocher commented, “My experience coaching with the New England Wolves was a very positive one. After two years at SNHU as an assistant I got the opportunity to work in the EHL, help recruit two teams, work with future D1 and D3 college players as well as an experienced staff. Being utilized in many different roles helped prepare me for college and pro hockey.”
Much like a player’s journey, a coach’s journey takes time to develop and grow. The EHL provides a fertile place for both players and coaches to hone their craft and work their way up into higher levels of amateur and professional hockey. “The EHL is one of the leaders In producing D3 college hockey players which is impressive in itself. But I like the way the league markets itself and has a major footprint not only in New England but around the eastern US. It’s easy for colleges to get out and catch games any time.” said Durocher, now the Assistant Coach for Men’s Hockey at Robert Morris University.
Looking back on each of their journeys so far in hockey, Weber and Durocher provided these words of advice for aspiring NCAA student/ athletes. “Enjoy the process, work hard and don’t look too far ahead. Enjoy what you have in front of you and focus on having a great season.” said Durocher. Weber added, “The advice I would give young players is to try to get 1% better on and off the ice every day and to be a good teammate. I would say finding a way to leverage the strengths in their game and being dialed in with their habits and details is important.”
The EHL takes great pride in coaches such as Jenine Weber and Ryan Durocher for helping them reach their goals. For more info on the EHL visit their website- Eastern Hockey League
