Wiseman and Modry join Steve Konowalchuk as new members on the Thunderbirds coaching staff
The Springfield Thunderbirds have hired Jaroslav Modry and Chad Wiseman as assistant coaches, the team announced Friday.
Both coaches will join head coach Steve Konowalchuk as new additions to the Thunderbirds coaching staff.
Modry, a native of Ceské Budejovice, Czechia, joins the Thunderbirds after having served as the head coach of HC Kometa Brno (Czechia) for the 2023-24 season.
A 1990 ninth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, Modry had a long playing career on the backend that saw him collect 250 points in 725 regular season games across 13 NHL seasons.
While in the NHL, Modry suited up for the Devils, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers.
After only playing 24 games with HC Plzen 1929 during the 2011-12 season, Modry hung up his skates. Shortly after, he got his coaching start as a volunteer assistant coach at RIT (NCAA).
Only holding that role for the 2011-12 season, Modry would be out of coaching for four years before joining the L.A. Jr. Kings 15U AAA team as their head coach.
Following one season in that position, Modry was named an assistant coach with the Ontario Reign where he would serve in that role from 2017-2020.
Modry also made stops with the L.A. Jr. Kings 16U (assistant coach) and 18U (head coach) AAA teams before heading back to Czechia in 2021 to coach - where he has been ever since.
Wiseman, a Burlington, Ont., native joins the Thunderbirds with an extensive coaching and playing background.
Following a long playing career that saw him play ten NHL games and 651 AHL games, Wiseman got his coaching start with the New York Riveters (NWHL), being named their head coach for the 2015-16 season.
Wiseman served as head coach of the Riveters for three seasons before he joined the Guelph Storm as an assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 season.
During his time with the Storm, Wiseman would hold assistant (2018-19), associate (2019-22) and head coaching positions (2022-24) before being fired by Guelph at the end of April.
As the Thunderbirds head into next season, it will be interesting to see how to team is able to play under the tutelage of three new coaches.
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