Road Warriors Welcome Brian Gratz as Assistant Coach
September 30, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits News Release
Greenville, SC: The Greenville Road Warriors, proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, announced today that Brian Gratz will join the organization as assistant coach for the 2014-15 season.
"Brian brings a solid base of professional coaching experience to the organization," said General Manager, Chris Lewis. "He's been around the game as both a coach and a player for many years and has had tremendous success in both roles. Brian has a tireless work ethic and will be a great addition from both the hockey and front office business perspectives."
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Gratz brings seven years of head coaching experience to Greenville, including six years at the helm of a professional organization. The 33-year old has spent time in the Central Hockey League (CHL), Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL) and at the collegiate level. Overall, Gratz has compiled a professional coaching record of 149-120-23 with two post-season league championships to his credit.
"Brian will be a great addition to this coaching staff and organization," head coach Dean Stork said. "His record as a coach in professional hockey speaks for itself and I personally know how hard he works to put a winning team on the ice. I'm very excited to get him involved."
Gratz began his coaching career as an assistant with the Reading Royals in 2007. The following season, he was named head coach and general manager of the Indiana Ice Miners of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL), where he won 2007-2008 MAHL Coach of the Year and earned the inaugural league championship. Gratz continued his early success the next season by leading the Jersey Rockhoppers to the 2009 EPHL Championship.
After spending the 2009-10 season as head goalie coach and assistant for the Penn State University Men's Ice Hockey program, Gratz was named head coach and general manager for the Dayton Gems (CHL) in 2010-11. In his first of two seasons, he increased the team's win percentage by more than 16 percent and led the Gems to a berth in the 2010-11 playoffs. He was also named to the CHL Competition Committee in May of 2011, working with league officials to continuously assess and improve the league's hockey operations.
For the 2012-13 campaign, Gratz served as head coach and director of hockey operations for the Bloomington Blaze (CHL), and led the league in total player call-ups to the ECHL and AHL. Last year, Gratz continued to serve as the head coach in Bloomington when the organization changed leagues and joined the SPHL. After Bloomington's move to the SPHL, Gratz joined the Fort Wayne Komets coaching staff and contributed to their 2013-14 playoff berth and first-round series win over the Reading Royals.
"I'm very excited to join the Road Warriors organization," Gratz commented. "I've known Dean (Stork) for a long time and getting to work with him and build a championship team is something I've really been looking forward to. It's such a great opportunity and I cannot wait to get started."
Prior to his coaching career, Gratz played parts of three seasons as a goaltender in the ECHL, SPHL and United Hockey League (UHL). He graduated from Penn State University with degrees in Finance and Economics in 2004. Gratz was also member of four consecutive ACHA National Championship teams as a goaltender at Penn State.
The Road Warriors kick off their 5th season of hockey in the Upstate on Friday, October 24th against the South Carolina Stingrays at 7 p.m. Ticket plans are now available for as low as $81! Call a Road Warriors Account Executive at 864-674-PUCK or visit greenvilleroadwarriors.com/tickets-overview.html to secure your Road Warriors tickets today!
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