2022 NECHL SEASON PREVIEW: CANISIUS COLLEGE

The Canisius College ACHA Division I men's hockey team is back with a returning face as the bench boss -- Ian Hurtubtise, who takes over for former coach Steve Hurtubise, the NECHL's new commissioner. With a strong list of returners, plus a solid core of new players, the coaching staff is hoping to build on what Steve Hurturbise built at Canisius, while also helping players develop.

QUICK HITS

Coaching Staff: 

Head Coach: Ian Hurtubise (11th year coaching, 1st as head coach)

Associate Coach: Matt Canada

Assistant Coaches: Andy Schneggenburger, Joey McGuire & Erik Pawelski

Captains:

C: Michael Yochum

A's: Robbie Cicciari, Mark Narby & Kyle Neudorf

2022 Record:

Overall: 13-0-18-1

NECHL: 3-3-8-0 (5th)

New Players:

• Colin Bandelian (Sweet Home High School)
• Matt Bowen (John Carroll, ACHA Division I)
• Sam Cureo (St. Francis High School)
• Manny Egbali (Mississauaga Chargers, OJHL)
• Nolan French (Canisius High School)
• Brandon Lukomski (Lake Erie Big Horns, USPHL)
• Ben Naimool (Potomac Patriots, USPHL)
• Josh Okulewicz (Williamsville North High School)
• Nate Rivet (St. Joes Collegiate Institute)
• Kessler Skye (Potomac Patriots, USPHL)
• Luke Sullivan (St. Marks Prep School)
• Jhett Winkel (Orillia Terriers, PJCHL)
• Whyatt Winkel (Orillia Terriers, PJCHL)

Key returners

• Michael Yochum
• Charles Drolet
• Robbie Cicciara

COACH'S CORNER

What were your immediate reaction/thoughts to how your team did in the 2021-22 season; what was the general takeaway moving into the offseason?

Hurtubise: "We had an up and down year as injuries played a role early on trimming our defense from nine to five within the first couple months. Our team battled year long and many guys stepped up throughout the roster which should help us immensely looking to the new year. The general takeaway in the off-season was to continue to add great people first and players second to our roster as we know the talent they already bring. We have a great core led by Michael Yochum and he proves to be one of the best people to lead our team in program history heading into the new year."

What was your biggest task going into the offseason? What was the No. 1 goal heading into the 2022-23 season?

Hurtubise: "To continue to build on what Coach Steve has built for 13 years when he brought the program to the ACHA Division I level. Our staff is big on clear, consistent communication as well as making sure everyone is held accountable. The goal is to win the NECHL and head back to Nationals this year."

What's the team goal this year? Anything specific (outside of the obvious answers such as winning the league, etc.)?

Hurtubise: "Our team goal outside of Nationals like many others is to set the tone in each and every game we play from the start. We’ve got some great teams on our calendar this year and we won’t be waiting for another team to set the tone each and every game, we’ll bring it to them."

Do you have any personal goals or does the coaching staff have any goals for the program this year?

Hurtubise: "Our staff’s goal continues to be helping players develop and learn the play of the league from their various backgrounds. The quicker we do that the more cohesive our roster will be, hopefully resulting in a few wins against some teams in the CHMA we play in the first few months."

You're in your first year as head coach after taking over for Steve -- what's it like to be in charge of the program, after serving with him for so long?

Hurtubise: "It feels a bit odd to not see him on the bench next to me after the past decade of coaching together and there may be a few mannerisms that the players have picked up on I’ve gladly borrowed from him. I’ve learned from working with a lot of great coaches and players in the program so it’ll be a fun challenge for me and I always have Steve as a sounding board too which is really helpful when needed. We also have Matt Canada running the backend and I brought back Andy Schneggenburger who I started at Canisius with which is great for our team. Outside of that, we also have two former players in Joey McGuire and Erik Pawelski helping which eases the burden of the transition. We have another former player coming back to coach as well but we’ll be saving that name until a later date this year. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to continue to lead our program in the right direction and we have the staff and players to get the job done this year."

CONTINUING THE SEASON

After an opening weekend sweep against Duquesne University, where the Golden Griffins won on the road 7-3 and 7-5, Canisius has a two-game home stint against Robert Morris University (PA) on Friday (6:30 p.m. at Northtown) and Saturday (5:00 p.m. at LECOM Harborcenter).