Grand Rapids Coaching Opening

Post by **karl(east)** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 12:46 pm

boblee wrote:
Sats81 wrote:Any indications on possible candidates?
A pure guess, but the type of person Rothstein has described over and over again would fit Guy Clairmont Jr.

That's a familiar name from some old section final DVD...what year did he graduate?

offtheglas · Post by **offtheglas** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 2:05 pm

Rumor mill has Klatt and Clafton as top candidates the others have limited experience playing and coaching.

norcon · Post by **norcon** » Fri Apr 17, 2015 6:05 pm

offtheglas wrote:Rumor mill has Klatt and Clafton as top candidates the others have limited experience playing and coaching.

Clafton was let go after one season as an assistant, so my guess is he's not a top candidate. Would love to see Trent Klatt and his old Gopher teammate Grant Bischoff take over as co-head coaches.

TheHockeyDJ · Post by **TheHockeyDJ** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 10:27 am

norcon wrote:
offtheglas wrote:Rumor mill has Klatt and Clafton as top candidates the others have limited experience playing and coaching.
Clafton was let go after one season as an assistant, so my guess is he's not a top candidate. Would love to see Trent Klatt and his old Gopher teammate Grant Bischoff take over as co-head coaches.

On twitter I mentioned Trent Klatt as a possible candidate and a couple days later his daughter favorited the tweet. I would like to see Trent as head coach. Just for the sake of change I would like to see him rather than just move an assistant up (no disrespect at all towards the current assistants) and Trent had a fairly lengthy career in the NHL (not that of itself leads to success in HS). One person who had a kid on the team when Trent was an assistant about 6 years ago said the kids would have gone through a wall for him. Whoever comes in, I hope they leave Rapids top 3 lines alone, they were on fire at the end of the season and it isn't often you even have that option of 3 lines moving the puck that well and lose none to graduation.

hadenuf · Post by **hadenuf** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 10:35 am

If Klatt did apply, you have to think he gets the job. Great guy, kids love it when he is on the ice with them and he has lots to offer. How about pairing Rohloff or Kleinendorst with him to run the defense? WOW!

Edinahopkins · Post by **Edinahopkins** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:05 pm

Joe Broking only coach to win state as a candidate, best coach in rapids
End of story. And the kids want him as coach period and nobody else

norcon · Post by **norcon** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:31 pm

Edinahopkins wrote:Joe Broking only coach to win state as a candidate, best coach in rapids
End of story. And the kids want him as coach period and nobody else

Will not happen. No question he can teach the game, but the AD and administration would not put up with his demeanor on the bench.

hadenuf · Post by **hadenuf** » Sat Apr 18, 2015 8:35 pm

Edinahopkins wrote:Joe Broking only coach to win state as a candidate, best coach in rapids
End of story. And the kids want him as coach period and nobody else

Wow! Surely you are out of touch with reality.

norcon · Post by **norcon** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 1:50 pm

hadenuf wrote:If Klatt did apply, you have to think he gets the job. Great guy, kids love it when he is on the ice with them and he has lots to offer. How about pairing Rohloff or Kleinendorst with him to run the defense? WOW!

Kleinendorst is another unlikely candidate. Burned a few bridges with his attempt to get Bruce LaRoque removed from the job back in 2010.

mulefarm · Post by **mulefarm** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 3:01 pm

Going on your 3rd coach in 5 years brings up a lot of red flags for prospective candidates? Seems like we always hear about the upcoming players, but never see the results at the HS level. Maybe the GR hockey community should do a self-evaluation to see were the problems are?

grindiangrad-80 · Post by **grindiangrad-80** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:52 pm

I'm sure there is plenty of pressure to win in GR given their history of success.

Not sure that coaching changes are necessarily a huge problem. Some teams have done well with a coach who is long tenured.

The time frame between 1972 and 1981 saw GR go on one of the great runs in the history of Minnesota hockey. In that 10 years they won 3 state championships- 2 2nd place-2 3rd place- 2 consolation.

That was done with 4 different coaches.

alcloseshaver · Post by **alcloseshaver** » Sun Apr 19, 2015 9:02 pm

Is there less of a pool of potential coaches in the Grand Rapids area? Would there be a chance of a candidate from outside the area, move someone in, find him a job or are there any teaching positions available. Elk River got a football coach from Georgia and got him a teaching position. just wondering.

boblee · Post by **boblee** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 8:11 am

alcloseshaver wrote:Is there less of a pool of potential coaches in the Grand Rapids area? Would there be a chance of a candidate from outside the area, move someone in, find him a job or are there any teaching positions available. Elk River got a football coach from Georgia and got him a teaching position. just wondering.

There are way too many local options or options with ties to the area to do that.

TheHockeyDJ · Post by **TheHockeyDJ** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:13 am

alcloseshaver wrote:Is there less of a pool of potential coaches in the Grand Rapids area? Would there be a chance of a candidate from outside the area, move someone in, find him a job or are there any teaching positions available. Elk River got a football coach from Georgia and got him a teaching position. just wondering.

Agree with boblee, there are a lot of options in Grand Rapids. Guys with experience in coaching that could probably handle the head coaching position are either of the assistants, Trent Klatt, Grant Clafton, Joe Broking, current Virginia coach and former GR player Reed Larson. There are other names I could add to the list of guys in the area that are capable, but not sure they are interested in coaching anymore.

Sats81 · Post by **Sats81** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:35 am

What is Klatt's connection to GR?

boblee · Post by **boblee** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:49 am

Sats81 wrote:What is Klatt's connection to GR?

Klatt lived in Grand Rapids for quite a while. I think he still has a home on the lake there. He also coached PW & Bantam hockey for 4-5 years and has spent a year or two as an assistant varsity coach.

boblee · Post by **boblee** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:50 am

east hockey wrote:
boblee wrote:
Sats81 wrote: So its Rothsteins choice as to who is going to succeed him? Or are you implying his input to administration will be taken strongly?
I don't think I am saying either. I am just saying that Rothstein talked about the young coaches in Grand Rapids and Clairmont came to mind.
How about boblee?

Lee

I'll stick to my assistant varsity fastpitch role in North Dakota and keep making that GR website the best in the state.

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 11:19 am

boblee wrote:
east hockey wrote:
boblee wrote: I don't think I am saying either. I am just saying that Rothstein talked about the young coaches in Grand Rapids and Clairmont came to mind.
How about boblee?

Lee
I'll stick to my assistant varsity fastpitch role in North Dakota and keep making that GR website the best in the state.

Are you still banned from crossing the Red River?

boblee · Post by **boblee** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 2:39 pm

karl(east) wrote:
boblee wrote:
Sats81 wrote:Any indications on possible candidates?
A pure guess, but the type of person Rothstein has described over and over again would fit Guy Clairmont Jr.
That's a familiar name from some old section final DVD...what year did he graduate?

Either 95 or 96. Went on to play at Concordia.

observer · Post by **observer** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:10 pm

Nice that Edinahopkins stays on top of Grand Rapids hockey.

Traxler · Post by **Traxler** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:44 pm

observer wrote:Nice that Edinahopkins stays on top of Grand Rapids hockey.

With the Indians playing at Braemar every year, it makes some sense.

norcon · Post by **norcon** » Mon Apr 20, 2015 5:12 pm

alcloseshaver wrote:Is there less of a pool of potential coaches in the Grand Rapids area? Would there be a chance of a candidate from outside the area, move someone in, find him a job or are there any teaching positions available. Elk River got a football coach from Georgia and got him a teaching position. just wondering.

Like boblee commented, there are many former players and quality candidates who live in Rapids. I believe a lot them just do not want to deal with the pressure and all of the second guessing that goes with being the Thunderhawks head man...part of the problem with having so many former players around who have their opinions on how things should be run.

boblee · Post by **boblee** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:36 am

norcon wrote:
alcloseshaver wrote:Is there less of a pool of potential coaches in the Grand Rapids area? Would there be a chance of a candidate from outside the area, move someone in, find him a job or are there any teaching positions available. Elk River got a football coach from Georgia and got him a teaching position. just wondering.
Like boblee commented, there are many former players and quality candidates who live in Rapids. I believe a lot them just do not want to deal with the pressure and all of the second guessing that goes with being the Thunderhawks head man...part of the problem with having so many former players around who have their opinions on how things should be run.

If they offer it to me, I'll take it. I don't think they will have any trouble hiring.

mulefarm · Post by **mulefarm** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:31 pm

Easy to hire, hard to get the right guy?

Rocketwrister · Post by **Rocketwrister** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 3:03 pm

What about Marinucci?