Pronger To Guide Hitmen
Published on June 5, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Chicago Hitmen News Release
Mark Hammersmith, Owner and President of the Chicago Hitmen, is pleased to announce the hiring of Steve Pronger, as the teams first head coach. "Being our inaugural season in the North American Hockey League, we felt that we needed a coach with professional experience to take this team to the next level. With Steve's background in professional and college hockey we felt that he was the perfect fit for the style of hockey we want to bring to Chicago, a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and exciting brand of hockey," states Hammersmith.
Pronger, a Windsor, Ontario native, was the Head Coach of the minor league professional Chicago Blaze of the AAHL and prior to that was a coach with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League. During his second season in Flint, the Windsor Ontario native held the position of Associate Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. Steve's first role with the Generals was that of Assistant Coach during the 2007 - 2008 season, where the AA affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings saw five players called up to various AHL franchise teams that season.
Hammersmith further states, "Steve's philosophy was very similar to the original philosophy of the Chicago Force that Dick Glass and I had. We wanted to win, but our ultimate goal was to move players onto the next level, whatever it may be, college or professional. Prior to joining the Flint Generals organization Pronger served as an Assistant Coach with the University of Windsor Men's Hockey team. The Lancers play in the Ontario University Association of the CIS. During his two years with the Lancer's Steve coached and shared in the development and mentoring of student athletes and seeing a number moving on to play professional hockey in the IHL, CHL and European Leagues after graduation.
After playing for St. Thomas in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League Steve would attend and receive his Bachelors Degree from the University of Windsor. Coaching in his former minor hockey association he would ultimately guide the Midget AAA program of the Windsor Junior Spitfires to many tournament wins and its only OHL Cup Tournament appearance (Ontario Minor Midget Championship), in its history. In addition, many players from Steve's programs were selected in the OHL draft to play in the top Junior A league in Canada. Matt Martin of the Sarnia Sting who was drafted in 2008 by the New York Islanders and Zach Kassian of the Windsor Spitfires who was drafted this June in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres are the most recent graduates to the NHL from Steve's former programs.
Steve has been involved with the Under 16 and Under 17 Programs in Ontario as a coach and evaluator, helping many young players advance through into the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence. These OHL players while playing for Team Ontario, won the 2007 Under 17 World Hockey Challenge in London, Ontario. In addition, each summer the High Performance 1 (Hockey Canada) and USA Hockey Advanced Level coach serves as a course instructor and facilitator for Alliance Hockey Ontario where he delivers coaching clinics to new coaches and those coaches new to travel hockey. Steve has also been a seminar presenter at a USA Hockey Level 4 clinic in Michigan.
North American Hockey League Stories from June 5, 2010
- Pronger To Guide Hitmen - Chicago Hitmen
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