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USHL Des Moines Buccaneers

Matt Curley Named Head Coach of the Des Moines Buccaneers

June 16, 2021 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Des Moines Buccaneers News Release


The Des Moines Buccaneers announced today that Matt Curley has joined the organization as their 17th Head Coach in franchise history. Curley agreed to a multi-year contract to guide the Four-time Clark Cup winning Buccaneers. He is known as an exceptional leader, communicator and developer of talent.

"We are extremely excited to bring Matt into the Buccaneer family. His extensive coaching experience and diverse hockey background as well as his communicative skills make him a natural for leading our program. Matt will help our organization and our players achieve their goals and aspirations. We can't wait to get started" said Senior Advisor & General Manager Scott Owens.

"I want to thank the Des Moines Buccaneers organization, especially Michael Devlin, Nick Cecere and Scott Owens for allotting me this opportunity to lead this program" stated new Bucs Head Coach Matt Curley. "The Bucs have one of the most rich and cherished histories in the USHL and a fan base that is second to none. The USHL is the best development league in the world, and I can't wait to work with our players to help them realize their potential as people and players. In so doing, we will bring an excitement and energy to Buccaneer Arena that our fans will be proud to cheer for. It is an honor to be a part of this team, organization and community. My family and I look forward to being a part of it all."

Michael Devlin, Managing Partner, Orchard View Sports & Entertainment said "After our extensive search, it was clear Matt Curley is the right leader for our team. Matt brings passion, alignment, and competitive excellence to the Bucs. We welcome Matt, Samantha and their family to the Bucs organization and the Greater Des Moines community."

The 38 year-old, North Country, New York native has a wealth of experience at the NCAA, Junior and International level. Most recently, he was the Head Coach at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Curley spent three seasons guiding the Seawolves program in the WCHA. In his first season, he led the Seawolves to the WCHA playoffs with 10 Freshman playing an integral role on his team. Unfortunately, this past season, UAA did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While rebuilding the Seawolves program, his teams excelled off the ice with 33 student-athletes recognized with WCHA Athlete honors and 45 players earning WCHA All-Academic honors.

Prior to arriving in Anchorage, Curley spent three seasons as a Head Coach of the world-renowned EC Red Bulls Juniors team in Salzburg, Austria. In his final campaign, he led the Red Bulls to the postseason in the Alps Hockey League with an overall record of 23-17.

Before heading to Austria, Curley was an assistant coach at Bentley University from 2013-2015. While with the Falcons, he worked primarily with the teams' defense and penalty kill unit. In addition, Curley spent the 2012-13 season as the Associate Head Coach with the Indiana Ice of the USHL. He started his coaching career with the United States National Team Development Program in 2010 after playing professionally for two seasons. Curley has now been affiliated with USA Hockey for over a decade assisting both their National and International teams.

Curley was a four-year letter winner as a defenseman at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. He graduated with degrees in History & Law as well as Business Administration. As an Assistant Captain, Curley helped lead the Golden Knights to the 2007 ECAC title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Matt and his wife, Samantha, have two children, Tess and Jack. The Curley family will relocate to Des Moines over the summer.

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