Matt O'Dette Named Bakersfield Head Coach

July 12, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, the proud ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, announced Matt O'Dette (Oh-DET), who served as an assistant coach for the Thunder for the past two seasons (2009-11), has been named head coach of the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL.

"Matt's contributions to the Thunder over the past few years have been very integral in our success and we wish him nothing but the best in his new career as a head coach in professional hockey," said Thunder president Dan Chapman.

O'Dette, 35, succeeds Marty Raymond by earning the first head coaching position in his career after spending three seasons with the Thunder - the final two in an assistant coach role to Thunder head coach Matt Thomas. The Oshawa, Ontario native either played or coached for Thomas in Stockton and Fresno for six seasons (2005-11), where he was a part of teams that never missed the Kelly Cup Playoffs and posted a record of 229-144-58 (.599 win percentage) in 431 games.

"It's a great opportunity for a guy like Matt, who's had a long, respected career in the game," said Thomas. "He's now secured one of the coveted head coaching jobs in professional hockey and it's a tribute to how hard he's worked. ‘Odie' wore a letter on his jersey for the majority of his pro career and it's a natural transition for him. He is a great leader, makes calculated decisions and I believe will thrive with those qualities as a coach in the ECHL."

"It means a lot to receive such a great opportunity like this," said O'Dette. "I'm excited for the chance and ready for the challenge in Bakersfield. It's tough to leave when you put a lot of heart into building something in a place that has a good thing going like Stockton. But it's helped prepare me for the next challenge in my career."

O'Dette becomes the fourth former player or assistant coach under Thomas to earn a head coaching position, joining Ryan Mougenel (Las Vegas), Kevin Colley (Utah) and Mark French (Hershey, American Hockey League).

"Working for Matt, who is one of the best and most loyal coaches in the business in my mind, meant a lot to prepare for this opportunity," said O'Dette. "He prepares assistant coaches with responsibilities they need to develop and get to the next level. Stockton will always be a special place since it's where my coaching career began. For that, I'm grateful to him, Brad Rowbotham and Dan Chapman, who gave me that opportunity."

Last season, O'Dette's first full campaign behind the bench with Thomas, the Thunder finished second in the Pacific Division with a mark of 37-23-12, tying a club record with 86 points. While he worked with the team's defensemen and special teams units, the Thunder ranked second in the ECHL with 28.4 shots allowed per game, tied for fifth with 2.9 goals allowed per game and tied for sixth in penalty kill percentage (83.6).

A key ingredient to his teams' successes throughout his playing career, O'Dette wrapped up his 13-year playing career with the Thunder as a defenseman and served in a player/assistant coach role in 2009-10. After being named to the full time assistant coach position on April 14, 2010, the Thunder advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in club history.

As captain, O'Dette helped guide the Thunder to its first Kelly Cup Playoff series victory in 2008-09 after signing with the club as a free agent during the middle of the season. He competed in 663 career games in the ECHL and AHL and was a part of two Calder Cup Finalist teams with Saint John in 1997-98 and Hamilton in 2002-03.

In his AHL career, O'Dette suited up in 263 career games, spanning six seasons (1997-2003) with Saint John, Quebec and Hamilton. He was originally selected in the seventh round (157th overall) of the 1994 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers and skated in 69 career Kelly Cup and Calder Cup Playoff games.



ECHL Stories from July 12, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central