Lennie Childs takes over for David Wilkie, who retired from coaching after six seasons behind the Omaha Lancers bench
The Omaha Lancers have named Lennie Childs their new head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. The announcement follows David Wilkie's retirement, who will remain on the team's staff as General Manager and CEO.
Childs is joining the Lancers during a period in which the organization has not been performing up to its usual standards. Over the last two seasons, the team has finished last in the standings and won a combined 33 games.
Childs' familiarity with the organization, however, could aid in getting the team up to speed and turning things around. For the last two years, Childs has recruited several players from the Lancers as an assistant coach for Union College.
When it became apparent that Wilkie would retire after the 2023-24 season, Omaha gauged Childs' interest in the head coaching position. The Lancers were seeking youth and energy from their next coach, and they felt that Childs was the right man for the job.
"I'm in a time in my life where I can really go out on a limb, and I think this is a perfect fit after going through junior hockey, going to college, and now seeing what it's like at that level," the 32-year-old Childs said in an interview with The Hockey News on Wednesday.
"Omaha, it's just kind of a perfect fit because they have great facilities. It's a crown jewel of the USHL. The ownership is amazing. They are really supportive and they want to build it to be a developmental path for players to come through, which was the main thing I wanted.
"Like, yeah, we want to win, but the primary focus is developing the player and the whole player through Omaha. So that's why I was really excited for this opportunity right now."
Childs has experience at this level of hockey, having been an assistant coach for the NAHL's Janesville Jets and USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers before coaching the college game.
Opportunities like the one in Omaha only come around once in a while, and Childs was eager to take advantage of the opportunity.
As he gets settled, Childs will be tasked with figuring out how to get the Lancers back to their winning ways. This will start with building relationships and trust with the players on the team.
From there, it will be a matter of getting back to the standard that once defined the Omaha Lancers as a blueblood organization in the USHL.
"The biggest thing will be really getting to know everyone on a different level and really getting an idea of who they are not just as hockey players but as people, and that's kind of what I'm all about as a coach," Childs said.
"For us, it's going to be setting a standard on how to do things. Wilkie has been unbelievable with culture and setting a standard. There's a standard there, and I know that the wins may not show that, but there's a good groundwork going in that I'm not completely starting from scratch.
"It's a really close team. The returners that are coming back, they love each other, they want to work. It's a highly-motivated team, so there's a lot of really good things that are already happening."
In terms of acquiring new players, Wilkie will continue to spearhead the draft process, but Childs will have his input on getting the right players into the organization.
This summer will be an important time for the team to regroup and get back on track. With Childs' previous coaching experience, the team is optimistic that he will be successful in Year 1 with the Omaha Lancers.
"I think being in Des Moines and seeing that type of player, which is different than North American League," Childs said. "There is definitely some more skill there. There could be some guys that are committed to bigger schools. How (those players) approach the game, you learn a little bit there.
"Then go to the college game and the one thing that holds true about college is everyone works hard. They really do. Everyone is coming from different paths. They're dedicated, and they have some sense of pride being where they are. I get the work ethic that it takes as a player and seeing that, but also now as a coach, being able to coach those type of players, it gives me an idea of the pathway that we need to set forth for Omaha.
"So now we have the pathway set. We know where they want to get to. Now it's just kind of dangling that carrot in different lanes to try to motivate them over, maybe a little nudge here and there to get them to the right lane for them to have the most success."