Coach of the Year

Blackbirds

Jim Austin

Jim was nominated as he is a coach who cares about the development and success of his players.

Coyotes

Matt Zagorski

Matt has been coaching with the Kankakee Coyotes for five years. He has three kids who play hockey and coaches each of their teams. He spends many hours on the ice every season and is always willing to help out. Matt has a calm demeanor and guides all of the players he coaches with patience, while pushing them to improve their skills and develop a love of the game. His skill and knowledge of hockey are some of the best of the club, which makes him one of our premier coaches and has earned him the respect of his players, fellow coaches and KYHC parents.

Fury

George Chicvara

Throughout this entire winter session, Coach Chicvara has continued to provide our youth with the opportunity to learn the game of hockey the right way regardless of wins, losses, and ties along the way. Each and every kid on our NWHL House Team has grown tremendously at the game of hockey this season and in a relatively short period of time when you think about it. That growth atmosphere should and will always be directly tied back to Coach Chicvara’s strong leadership from Day 1 as well as his effective 1:1 communication style with the boys. 

Coach Chicvara understood early on that it also took a strong commitment between him and the parents as well to run a highly successful and cohesive team like our Peewee 1 squad. The parents have truly banded together all season long to support George’s coaching staff in guiding their vision. Whether it was parents putting 15+ swag bags together for out of state games, coordinating a team dinner out, or even just getting together for an afternoon outdoor skate in our community, the parents were 100% onboard because they knew they had a Coach they wanted to support and get behind. 

Every opportunity to grow as a team whether it took place on the ice or off helped prepare our boys for each battle ahead. 

Ice Bears

David Lucas-Kamm

David is a coach who goes above and beyond to make sure our Mite’s are having a blast while also providing great structure and leadership. He regularly plans high energy, fun, and beneficial practices. 

Mowhawks

Pat Nejman

Pat is one of the most knowledgeable coaches we have. He could be coaching any team he wants quite honestly. Last season he struggled through an amazingly difficult season, only tying a couple of games. But he stuck with and focused on improvement. This season he had an opportunity to be an Assistant Coach with the higher-level team that his son had made, but he chose to stay with his NWHL Squirt Team. After a 1-4-1 start in the Seeding Round, maybe not much was going to change for the squad. However, post-tiering, they are 6-1-3 to date.

Normal for Pat, when I asked about his jacket size and had to say why, he brought up his assistants and how it is one group working to make the Team better, deflecting from the accolades and attention as Coach of the Year he deserves.

Pat is a modest person, always more concerned about the group and not his own ego. Quite honestly, and unfortunately, in my 40 years around athletics and hockey, this is very abnormal. Most coaches have egos that need to be fed by wins and championships. Pat is happy if the kids are improving and learning and if everyone is getting whatever credit is due. He is a true example of a servant leader.

Panthers

Brittany Aiello

Coach Brittany is one of our most dedicated and selfless coaches! She is the true definition of “putting the kids/team first”. Always willing to take extra ice whenever it is available for her team, even if it affects her personal schedule. She always makes it work for the kids! 

Coach Brittany was the first coach I had brought on when I took over as Hockey Director at FP. She has been nothing but great! And constantly puts in the time and effort with all of our gold mite players. It is safe to safe she has been eligible for this award from the start! Finding and keeping coaches like Coach Brittany who are truly caring, passionate about coaching, and doing it for the right reasons is hard! Myself, Organization, Players, and Families are very thankful for Coach Brittany and her constant support/love for our Panther kids! This award and the Thank You’s are the least we can do!

Thank You Coach Brittany and Congratulations!

Rangers

Corey Achino

Coach Corey has dedicated his time, energy and hockey knowledge to our program over the last several years. He has been a great fit at our U8 level as he has developed the kids while also making it incredibly fun for them. Corey is always the first one to the rink and the last one to leave and he always prepared with a plan for practices and games. 

Coach Corey’s main priority isn’t winning games but developing players and making sure they have fun. We think this philosophy is perfect our club and our league. Great job Coach Corey!!!

Renegades

Brian Prewitt

Brian has been an incredible leader for our players in the program since he started coaching with the Renegades in 2018. As his son has grown up with the program, Brian has stepped up every season to coach and has built upon his skillset with each experience. 

Outside of hockey, Brian is a leader in his community as a pastor and has brought his experiences through that into the arenas by treating every player and family with equal opportunity. We are so happy to have Brian be part of our program and are excited for his next adventures!

River Dogs

Ben Hjelmaas

Ben is one of the hardest working coaches I have had the privilege of coaching with. He has a passion for coaching and teaching kids the game of hockey and is a great example of how team work and having fun in the game of hockey should be. Ben constantly pushes the kids to be better both on and off the ice as well as a great person to be around.

Vikings

Brit Volini

Coach Brit sets an amazing example for all of our coaches in the HF Vikings organization. She has dedicated her time as an assistant coach for our 8u and 10u teams. Going above and beyond, she has been an important role of growing the involvement of girls to our program. Our program is reaping the benefits of her extra time at our girl’s hockey clinic, instruction during powers skates, and involvement with both of her teams. 

Thank you Coach Brit for your dedication to our program. 

Wolf Pack

Dave Goldwater

The Hoffman Estates Wolf Pack Hockey Club is proud to nominate Coach Dave Goldwater for the Northwest Hockey League’s Coach of the Year award. Starting at age 45 with no prior hockey experience, Dave embraced the sport through his son Ethan and dedicated himself to learning the game, ultimately earning his Level 4 USA Hockey Coaching Education certification. 

For nearly a decade, he has been a vital member of the Wolf Pack coaching staff, known for his calm demeanor and commitment to teaching valuable life lessons through hockey. Dave’s impact on players, families, and the hockey community exemplifies the dedication and spirit that the Wolf Pack Hockey Club values.