Dashers Announce Paul MacLean as Head Coach

Danville, IL - The Danville Dashers are proud to announce the hiring of Paul MacLean as the team’s Head Coach.

MacLean comes from the Waywayseecappo Wolverines of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) where he was Head Coach and Director of Player and Hockey Operations. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity of coaching the Dashers.” MacLean said. “I have heard a lot of great things about the area, and I am very thankful to Barry and Diane for giving me the opportunity to lead this team.”

MacLean has a long history in hockey, going back to playing junior hockey during the late 1980’s for the Mississauga Torspos of the Metro Junior B Hockey League (MJBHL), Brockville Braves of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and Vernon Lakers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). His time as a professional player saw him make stops with the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks and Thunder Bay Senators of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL), as well as the Johnstown Chiefs and Toledo Storm of the ECHL during his 13 year career. After retiring as a player, he served as Assistant Coach of the Port Huron Beacons of the United Hockey League (UHL), and has had several stops as an assistant coach, head coach, and general manager in the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL), Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL), and MJHL.

"I've known Paul since he played for me in Toledo when Fran and I had the Storm in the ECHL” said Team Owner Barry Soskin. “Paul is a hard worker, great within the community, has good contacts, and will do a great job working with Diane."

"Talking with Paul has been a pleasure. He is going to bring so much to the table, not only on the ice but in the community also." said General Manager Diane Short. “I know this has been a long wait for our fans, but we wanted to do our due diligence and make sure the person we brought in would be a good fit."

MacLean takes over a Danville team that missed the playoffs last year with a 19-29-3-5 (W-L-OTW-OTL) record for 68 points. MacLean is not phased by this and expects big things for the team in his first year. “We want to be a team that competes every night” MacLean said. “We’ve put a system in place that will emphasize hard nosed style hockey while not sacrificing speed and skill… I think the league is turning a corner and there’s a lot of good things ahead for the FHL and us. We’ve got a lot of guys that are hungry to come back, and we’ll have some good youth mixed in to make us a competitive team this season.”

The Danville Dashers begin their quest for a second FHL Championship on October 26th when they take on the expansion Elmira Enforcers at the David S. Palmer Arena for their Home Opener. Season and group tickets are on sale now. Contact the Dashers at (217) 213-8939 to purchase your tickets. Don’t miss out on any news, and stay connected with the Dashers at www.danvilledashers.com, on Facebook (Danville Dashers), Twitter (@DanvilleDashers), and Instagram (@Danville_Dashers).