The Toledo Walleye name Pat Mikesch, last of the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers, their new head coach
The Toledo Walleye named Pat Mikesch, who has served as head coach and GM of the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL since the 2014-15 season, their new head coach.
After Dan Watson was promoted from Toledo to Grand Rapids in mid-June, the Walleye were left with a coaching vacancy of their own to fill, and now, they have their man. Like Watson, Mikesch is a former Derek Lalonde assistant, who replaced Lalonde when the now Red Wing coach moved on to his next stop.
Watson served under Lalonde in Toledo and replaced him when Lalonde left for AHL Iowa; Mikesch spent the '11-12 through '13-14 seasons under Lalonde's direction in Green Bay, then replaced him when Lalonde went off to Toledo. Those colliding worlds suggest a clear desire for organizational alignment from Detroit west to Grand Rapids and south to Toledo.
"Pat’s commitment to mentoring and building a positive culture focused on player growth and improvement makes him an excellent fit within our organization. We look forward to working with him and are confident his experience and skills will lead to continued success for our team and players," Walleye executive vice president and general manager Neil Neukam said in the accompanying press release.
A native of Hancock, Michigan, Mikesch has extensive ties to the state. He played his college hockey at Michigan Tech between 1992 and 1996, and he returned to Tech as an assistant between 2004 and 2011, at which point he headed to Green Bay.
“I am extremely excited to be the next head coach of the Walleye. The Walleye strive for excellence, and it's an honor to be part of this first-class organization. I'm looking forward to dropping the puck on the season in front of the ECHL’s most passionate fan base soon," said Mikesch in the same press release.