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USHL Tri-City Storm

Mark Abalan Named Head Coach

May 31, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Tri-City Storm News Release


KEARNEY, NE. - Tri-City Storm is proud to announce the hiring of Mark Abalan as the ninth Head Coach in franchise history. Abalan brings more than twenty years of coaching experience and success to the organization. He joins the Storm after spending the last three seasons with the Northstar Christian Academy Knights 16U AAA organization in Alexandria, Minnesota. Abalan previously served as Head Coach of the Chicago Steel (USHL) during the 2017-2018 regular season. He replaces Anthony Noreen, who was named the Head Coach of the Miami University RedHawks (NCAA) on April 1st, 2024, following seven years behind the Storm bench.

Mark Abalan, 48, from Duluth, Minnesota joins the Storm after serving as the Co-Head Coach of Northstar Christian Academy's 16U AAA team for the past two seasons. The Knights compiled an overall record of 68-36-3 during Abalan's two seasons as Co-Head Coach. He joined Northstar Academy in the summer of 2021 following a three-year stint as the Associate Head Coach of the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL). Abalan spent five seasons as an Assistant Coach for the Musketeers from 2012 to 2016. The Musketeers were 225-205-21-16 during Abalan's eight total seasons behind the bench. He was hired as Head Coach of the Chicago Steel (USHL) on June 21st, 2017. Abalan coached twenty-four regular season games for the Steel during the 2017-2018 season, and finished the season with a final record of 13-8-1-2. His USHL debut as a Head Coach came on October 6th, 2017, in the Steel's 6-2 road victory against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Abalan spent two separate seasons with the 16U AAA team at Shattuck St. Mary's (Faribault, MN) prior to his time in the USHL.

Abalan represented the United States on three occasions in international competitions. He served as an Assistant Coach on Team USA's gold-medal-winning squad at the 2013 (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia) & 2018 (Bonnyville, Alberta) World Junior A Challenge. Abalan was also behind the bench for the United States in the team's bronze-medal-winning performance at the 2019 (Dawson Creek, British Columbia) edition of the event.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity and excited to build upon a rich Storm tradition. My goal is to provide an environment for our players to learn and grow as young men both on and off the ice. Tri-City has a rich tradition, sustained success over the last decade, a passionate fan base, and is always a hard place to play for an opponent. I've heard great things about Kearney, and I'm looking forward to getting involved in the community and meeting the people. I would like to thank my wife Missy, and my three children for supporting me and loving me through this process. I want to also thank Dave Vennetti, Mark Jalcovik, Andrew Bloomer, Anthony Noreen, and Jason Koehler for trusting me to lead this hockey club. I've had many people influence me along the way and many great men who have helped me get to this point. To all the men I've coached with, I want to say thank you. Finally, I want to thank my Northstar family, I've had a great three years of growing and doing life with you all."- Head Coach Mark Abalan

"Mark Abalan is the perfect fit to take over as the next Head Coach of the Tri-City Storm. In my conversations with him this week, he has shown that he is a person of the highest integrity who cares deeply about his players and is committed to their success on and off the ice. I am excited to welcome him as our new Head Coach of the Tri-City Storm." - President of Business Operations Mark Jalcovik

"Through the interview process, we had several quality options and strong candidates for the position. Ultimately, we were extremely impressed with Coach Abalan's track record, experience, communication skills, and professionalism. We felt these attributes would make for an outstanding addition to our staff, and provide our players with a quality teacher and leader as we look to next season and the future. We are thrilled to bring in a coach with Mark's experience and familiarity with the USHL. He has a passion for development, and player improvement, and a history of being able to communicate with elite athletes in this age range. We proudly welcome him to Kearney." - General Manager Jason Koehler

The Tri-City Storm will host its 2024 Selection Camp and team tryouts June 11th - 15th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The five-day camp will determine the Storm hockey team for the 2024 -2025 United States Hockey League (USHL) season, and will be held at the Las Vegas Ice Center at 9295 West Flamingo Road #130 in Las Vegas, NV. The camp is invitation-only. If you have any questions regarding the camp or are interested in attending, please contact Tri-City Storm General Manager Jason Koehler (jkoehler@stormhockey.com).

Signups are now underway for the Storm's 2024 USHL Futures Camp at the Orbit Ice Arena in Palatine, Illinois. The camp is open to any interested 2009 or 2010-born player. The three-day development and exposure camp will be held August 2nd through August 4th, 2024. Camp spots will fill fast and are on a "first come, first served" basis. Once positions at the camp are filled, registrants will be locked out from signing up for those positions. Visit www.StormHockey.com for additional information, and to register for the camp.

Season Tickets to the Storm's 25th Anniversary Season are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting a member of the Storm Sales Staff at 308-338-8144. Pricing, and the Season Ticket Order Form for the 2024-2025 season, can be found online at https://stormhockey.com/sports/2022/8/19/season-tickets.aspx. Skate to www.StormHockey.com for more information regarding the Tri-City Storm organization. The Tri-City Storm is presented by Viaero Wireless.

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