Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association - Jr. Coyotes Announce New Goaltending Director
Scottsdale, AZ – July 22nd, 2024 – The Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) - Jr. Coyotes is proud to announce the appointment of Rick Ice as the new Goaltending Director, effective immediately. With the recent announced departure of Brendan Burke, to the American Hockey League (AHL), Rick joins the CAHA leadership team to continue the momentum of goalie development and exposure for the program.
Originally from Sterling Heights, Michigan, Rick brings to the position 13 years of coaching experience. Most recently, from 2021-2024, he served as the Goaltending and Video Coach for the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). During his tenure with the Spirit, Rick was instrumental in the team’s success, culminating in winning the CHL Memorial Cup this past June. His responsibilities included daily goaltending sessions, scouting for the OHL priority selection draft, live game clipping and team gameday operations setup.
Before his successful run with the Spirit, Rick was the Assistant and Goaltending Coach for Belle Tire AAA Midget Majors in Detroit. Under his guidance, the team won back-to-back Tier I Championships in 2019 and 2020, as well as the Michigan AAA State Championship in 2021 at the midget major level.
Rick’s experience also includes serving as the Goaltending Coach and Video Assistant at the University of Alabama Huntsville NCAA Division 1 during the 2014-2015 season. He began his coaching career at Ferris State University at the ACHA College level and in 2014 founded his own coaching business, Elite Goaltending Development. Through the reach of Elite Goaltending Development, Rick has coached goaltenders across all levels in the Detroit area, including NCAA D1, OHL, USHL, NAHL, BCHL, NCDC, AAA and AA.
Adding to his extensive coaching resume, Rick is a Level 5 USA Hockey Coach and holds a USA Hockey Gold Level Goaltending Certification.
"We are thrilled to welcome Rick Ice to the Jr. Coyotes family," said Kristy Aguirre, President, CAHA. "His impressive background and proven track record of developing top-tier goaltenders makes him a perfect fit for our program. We are confident that Rick’s leadership and expertise will greatly benefit our players and contribute to the continued success of the Jr. Coyotes."
Rick Ice shared his excitement for his new role, stating, “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with the Jr. Coyotes organization. Growing up, Arizona was always my second home and Arizona hockey is a big reason why I wanted to get involved with hockey. I’ve always had hopes I’d have an opportunity at some point to be involved with hockey in the desert. I look forward to the opportunity to further grow and develop goaltending with the Jr. Coyote organization.”
Welcome to Arizona Rick!
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