Anzalone ready to Wing it
Michigan Soo native Francis Anzalone is preparing for his first season as head coach of the Aberdeen Wings and will be looking to build on the success that the North American Hockey League team had during the 2013-2014 regular season.
With 38 wins, a berth in the NAHL playoffs and 13 current and former players making National Collegiate Athletic Association commitments within the last year, the 2013-2014 campaign was a rousing success for the Wings.
The wins and commitments were franchise highs and Aberdeen finished just a point behind the Austin Bruins for first place in the Central Division only to lose in the first round of the playoffs.
But off-season change hit Aberdeen when it was announced that head coach Travis Winter was returning to his Bemidji State alma mater as an assistant coach and that Anzalone would move up from associate coach to bench boss of the Wings.
Despite the fact this will be Anzalone’s first head coaching gig, he is well versed in how to operate, build and manage a team, given that he and Winter were together for five years, beginning in the United States Hockey League.
“From a personal standpoint, I think am pretty comfortable with the day-to-day hockey operations stuff but I made it a goal to really educate myself on how the league rules work and the administrative responsibilities that come along with being a head coach in the NAHL,” said the 26-year old Anzalone.
The son of former Lake Superior State University Lakers national championship coach Frank Anzalone, the younger Anzalone has been coaching at the competitive youth and junior levels since he was 18.
“I’m really fortunate that the transition (from Winter to Anzalone) has been very smooth. We have a great staff here in Aberdeen that has helped with that and I am very excited for the upcoming season.”
Aberdeen has lost eight of its top 10 scorers from 2013-2014 and Anzalone said that when he was constructing the 2014-2015 edition of the Wings, the offense was the first thing he addressed.
“I wanted to bring in some forwards that had a little more grit. We have to be good in all areas of the ice and I wanted guys who put a responsibility in all areas,” he noted.
On the blueline, Anzalone noted that Aberdeen will have four returning defencemen in 2014-2015.
The Wings are also fortunate to have veteran goalie Chad Catt returning between the pipes in 2014-2015.
“Chad has been a big staple of our success the last year and a half, so to have a guy like that back in goal really gives us some confidence, particularly to start the season,” remarked Anzalone.
“Our biggest concern to begin the season is goal scoring but I would imagine there are 23 other NAHL head coaches who are probably thinking the same thing,” he added.
Aberdeen has solid ownership in place and is well-supported with an average attendance of more than 1,400.
“We are fortunate to have the pieces in place for success. We have a tremendous and committed owner in Greg Odde. We also have a great and passionate fan base. Aberdeen is a town made for junior hockey. The players get a great life experience while they are here,” said Anzalone.
Anzalone stressed that there are three main goals he has in mind when the Wings begin the 2014-2015 season in mid-September at the annual NAHL Showcase Tournament in Blaine, Minnesota.
“We want to keep building our program, we want to keep growing our culture and we want to keep developing players. If we do those things, winning will be a by-product,” said Anzalone. “We don’t talk about winning nearly as we emphasize development and doing the right things on a daily basis.”
PHOTO: Francis Anzalone is set to begin his first season as head coach of the Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL.
Francis is moving on up in the hockey world. Good luck to he and Aberdeen.
As far as coaches go I’ve gotta believe that even Francis knows that coaches are hired to be fired. I’m still trying to think of a hockey coach that stuck with the same team his whole career. Unless of course he was fired shortly after his hiring and then never got the same opportunity again – but you get me gist. Anzalone will not lose his job due to lack of preparation nor passion.