Ice in the media

Last week, the Indy Star's Mike Wells sat down with Sean Kuraly ... and also the esteemed Star reporter Phillip B. Wilson had chats with Kyle Wallack and Daniil Tarasov.

In NUVO, writer (and Ice off-ice official) Joe O'Gara has a nice piece on new Ice coach Kyle Wallack

Check 'em out. .

It all comes full-circle

The Ice have come full-circle in a roundabout way.

In June, the Ice hired Kyle Wallack to become their next head coach.

Wallack had been an assistant at Yale. His replacement on the Bulldogs' staff? Dennis "Red" Gendron -- the first Indiana Ice coach in 2004-05. Since leaving the Ice, Gendron had been an assistant at UMass from 2005-11.

Ice main camp this weekend: CORRECTION

Even though the Stanley Cup hasn't yet been presented to finally put the curtain on the 2010-11 hockey season, we get our first look at the 2011-12 Indiana Ice this weekend with the team's annual tryout camp at Pepsi Coliseum (note correction on the site ... brain cramp yesterday caused me to put the wrong one down).

Eight teams of players will play mini-games Friday and Saturday, and the top players will be selected for an All-Star Game at 10 a.m. Sunday. The 30-man roster will be posted shortly thereafter.

This will be new coach/GM Kyle Wallack's first look at both the Ice's returning players, the 2011 Futures Draft and Entry Draft selections and other hopefuls for the team. Several players have already committed to play collegiately, and two of the Ice's draftees -- Max Domi and Jeremy Gregoire -- have received much intrigue in Canada, but have yet to commit to either playing Major Junior or play in the USHL and go the NCAA route. Domi was drafted eighth in the OHL draft, and his rights are currently owned by Kingston, but might be traded to the London Knights, and his father Tie Domi was once NHL teammates with Knights GM Doug Gilmour, which some of the Canadian media are speculating might sway Domi to stay in the OHL. Gregoire was selected sixth in the QMJHL draft by Chicoumiti.

Sessions commence with a goaltending clinic and optional practice for the teams on Thursday night. The games commence Friday with sessions from 8a.m.-2 p.m. and 3-9 p.m. -- with four games scheduled for 90 minutes in length. All teams will participate in each session.

The Saturday session will include games and special teams scrimmages in the 8-2 session and games in the 3-9 time slot.

The All-Star Game, as noted, is at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Here are the team's Entry Draft selections Ages are as of the start of next season. 
Tyler Pham, F, Fort Collins, CO (17 y/o, University of Denver 2012)
Danny Sherer, F, Natosha, WI (20 y/o)
Adam Johnson, F, Hibbing, MN (17 y/o, Minnesota-Duluth)
Matt Seidel, F, Michigan (17 y/o)
Drew Newmayer, D, Scottsdale, AZ (17 y/o)
John Draeger, D, Morristown, MN (17 y/o)
Woodruff Hudson, F, Rochester, NY (19 y/o)
Ian Janco, D, Bloomington MN (17 y/o)
Sean Sanford, F, Phoenix, AZ (19 y/o) -- this is the 6-9, 230-pound draftee
Bryson Cianfrone, F, Stoney Creek, ON (16 y/o, University of Michigan)
Cody Gyllyng, C, Chandler, AZ (17 y/o)
Charles Orzetti, C, Wyckoff, NJ (19 y/o, Yale University)
Jack McFarlane, F, Cloquet, MN

And the team's Futures Draft selections
Justin Bailey, C, Williamsville, NY (16 y/o). Big 6-3, 170-pound forward.
Max Domi, C, Toronto, ON (16 y/o). Yes, this is Tie Domi's son, and one of the most skilled playmakers in Canada.
Jeremy Gregoire, C, Sherbrooke, PQ (16 y/o). One of the top picks in the QMJHL draft. There's much talk that he might end up going the NCAA route, as he has not committed to play Major Junior.
Anthony Florentino, D, West Roxbury, MA (16 y/o).
Tyler Kelleher, RW, Longmeadow, MA (16 y/o, University of New Hampshire 2014)
Patrick Fraser, G, Franklin, MA (16 y/o).

Ice hire: in the media

There are a few reports of the Ice's hiring of new coach/GM Kyle Wallack in the media. Here are a few samples:

Indianapolis Star
Yale Daily News

Q&A with new Ice coach

New Ice coach Kyle Wallack

On Wednesday morning, the Ice announced Kyle Wallack as their new head coach and general manager. Wallack has been an assistant and top recruiter at Yale University for the past five seasons, helping them become the nation's No. 1 team for much of the year this year in the polls.

Wallack will get his first look at the team next weekend, as the Ice will hold their tryout camp Friday-Sunday. 

I had a chance to chat with the new coach Wednesday afternoon. Here is a part of our conversation:

Tell us about the opportunity to become the Indiana Ice's head coach
It's an unbelievable opportunity. I've been around the USHL recruiting the last 10-12 years. It's a great league, a great city and a great organization.

How has your job at Yale helped prepare you for this? 
I started out more helping with recruiting. As the position has grown, we got better players, I've been coaching the special teams. The skill has really increased.


Speaking of special teams, are you excited about having the big rink in Indianapolis for your power play to operate on?
It's always a strength. You want to get kids who can skate on a big sheet. It would've been nice to have at Yale. It's something that allows you to recruit and identify players to fit a system to play on a big sheet. It gives kids who have certain skills an advantage. 

Do you have a specific coaching philosophy -- free-flowing, forechecking, defense, or do you believe in adapting it to the players you have?
I've looked at the roster and draft picks. It's a very skilled team. A lot of them I've seen on the recruiting trails. We'll adjust to what we need to do to fit the players we have.

What is the path that has taken you to this job? 
I just finished Year 15 in my coaching career. Time flies when you're enjoying what you do. I started out as an assistant coach with a junior program in New England. I went to the University of Delaware and then to Nichols and Quinnipiac, and those were great opportunities. My first Division I job was with UConn, and I was able to do my Master's degree while I was there. I spent two years at Holy Cross and now five with Yale. I've worked with some great people. Keith Allain is my boss here at Yale, Paul Pearl at Holy Cross, Bruce Marshall at UConn ...

Having been on the recruiting trail, you've seen a lot of the USHL. What are your impressions of the league coming into it? 
It's the best junior league out there. It's a grind every night. Their teams have made it a fun atmosphere and a lot of excitement. It's something I'm thrilled to be a part of. It's a league you love to recruit in, because you know you're going to have a fun atmosphere. To be behind the bench for it, it's something I'm looking forward to. 

Have you had a chance to meet with the returning players? 
I've gotten a chance to talk to three-fourths of them. There's some talent there. I'm excited to see someone like Sean Kuraly who's at the NHL combine. I spoke to him last night. He seems like a great player and a great person. We've got a lot of kids who have already committed to colleges.
 
How satisfying have the last few years been at Yale, to have the success you've had? 
It's been a blast. Everything's fun when you win. When I came in with Coach Allain on Day 1, everybody was telling me 'you can't do it there.' Now, we've done it. There are still more steps this program wants to go, especially getting to the NCAA championship. But it's a good spot.

Yale's Kyle Wallack new Ice coach

The Indiana Ice have announced the hiring of Kyle Wallack as their head coach this morning. 

Wallack has been Yale University's associated head coach since 2006. Yale was No. 1 in the nation for much of the past season, leading the NCAA in scoring and goals allowed. The Bulldogs have played in three straight NCAA tournaments and have gone 100-56-13 during those five years. He served as Yale's recruiting coordinator during that time.

Wallack has an agreement with the Ice through the 2014 season. He will be the fifth head coach in the Ice's USHL history. The franchise will begin its eighth season this fall.

   

Wallack replaces Charlie Skjodt, who recently was promoted to team president after his second successful stint as the team's head coach, where the Ice had the USHL's highest-scoring team this past season.

 

“We feel we have the right fit in Kyle,” Ice President Charlie Skjodt said in a release issued by the team.  “Today’s game is built on speed and we searched for the right coach who will take advantage of our larger ice surface at Pepsi Coliseum.  If you watched Yale last year, their success was built around the endless pursuit of the puck and a high octane offense.  That game is something the players love, our fans expect and a recipe for success.  We are very confident the team will be in great hands this year and it will be no surprise to see Kyle put us in position for another run at the Clark Cup.”

He has also coached at Holy Cross, UConn, Nichols and Delaware and with the U.S. National Team. He also coached the New England Coyotes to the Eastern Junior Hockey League championship while in college. The EJHL is a Tier III Junior A league. He is a graduate of Springfield College, where he was a goaltender from 1993-97, and has a master's degree from Connecticut. He has also helped train several goaltenders, including ex-Iceman Alec Richards, who played at Yale after his tenure in Indianapolis and is now playing with AHL Rockford, the Chicago Blackhawks' top affiliate.

 

“Kyle embodies everything the Indiana Ice stands for here in Indianapolis ,” Ice CEO Paul Skjodt said in a team release.  “His character, professionalism and experience will fit right in with our organization and team goals.  The most impressive part of his stay at Yale was his ability to not only recruit, but to build a team of student athletes that require the highest standards of education to gain entry and still win at the college level."

Kyle Wallack's Yale profile