The St. Cloud Norsemen are excited to bring on two new members to their coaching staff for the 2022-23 season in Assistant Coach Brock Kautz and Student Assistant Coach Michael Holenko.
Kautz is no stranger to the NAHL, having played five seasons in the league, culminating in winning a Robertson Cup with the Minnesota Wilderness in 2014-15. Brock went from there to the University of Minnesota where he played four seasons from 2015-2019, and both of those stints included playing for Norsemen Head Coach Corey Millen.
Brock Kautz
“He’s a solid kid that knows the game and has been around the league, so he has a clear understanding of what it means to be a North American League player,” points out Millen. “He wants to immerse himself in the coaching world and I think he brings a lot of really good experience and a lot of things that the boys can take from him.”
Brock is as excited to join his former coach and Corey is to have him on his staff.
“Working with Corey Millen is probably going to be the most exciting part. He was my coach my last year in this league for the Wilderness when we won the Robertson Cup and I had him for one year at the University of Minnesota,” explains Kautz. “He’s extremely knowledgeable about the game and I’m excited to learn from him and grow.”
Brock may be aided in coaching by several factors including his personality, working with a lot of various teams and coaches, and even his former playing days as a goaltender. “I’m a people person, I love building relationships and I’m easy to get along with,” Kautz notes. “I’ve been a lot of different places in the last ten years and I’ve been with a lot of different coaches and different teams. I think you learn a lot from watching almost as much as you do from playing.”
Kautz spent the last two seasons in the NAHL as the goaltending coach for the Minnesota Magicians.
The Norsemen will also have Michael Holenko on the bench this season as he joins the team in the role of student assistant coach. Holenko is a junior at St. Cloud State University this fall where he is studying Sports Management with a double minor in Business and Athletic Coaching. He is already very involved in hockey in Delano where he has worked as a program supervisor for their youth and adult recreational hockey programs and coaching Peewee A hockey.
Michael Holenko
Coach Millen knows that while younger and still a student, Holenko will provide a good perspective and unique skill set to the organization. “He’s really eager to learn, really loves coaching, loves the game of hockey, and those things are really good attributes to have,” Millen describes Holenko. “His eyes are wide open and that’s good. He’s gonna work, he’s gonna do a lot of little things that are gonna help our organization, and hopefully learn a lot along the way and bring some insight as he grows.
Millen, Kautz and Holenko have plenty on their plates with the season fast approaching. The regular season begins with the NAHL Showcase in Blaine on Wednesday, September 14th and their home opener is against the Austin Bruins on Friday, September 23rd.
For tickets or more information, head to stcloudnorsemen.com