By Mia Pontrelli · KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - As the Ice Vols gear up for a new season, the coaching staff welcomes aboard three new Division II coaches, including Director of…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - As the Ice Vols gear up for a new season, the coaching staff welcomes aboard three new Division II coaches, including Director of Hockey Rod Simmons.
This upcoming season is different from the rest.
“I think the standard and expectations are gonna change from maybe what they were in the past. We’re excited to bring that in and see where we can go from there,” assistant DII coach Matthew Pohlkamp said.
Pohlkamp is originally from Baxter, Minnesota, where he first began his hockey career. After playing four years of high school hockey, he completed a year in the USA Junior Hockey League. From there, he made his way to Bowling Green State University before completing a total of three years in the minor leagues, both nationally and overseas.
He plans to use this experience, along with four years of coaching a Wisconsin high school team, to revolutionize the program as a whole.
He isn’t the only one with high expectations for this season.
Joining Pohlkamp is former Ice Bear and new DII assistant coach, Stefano Brucato.
Although he’s originally from Lake Elsinore, California, Brucato has called Rocky Top home for the past seven years.
Prior to moving to Knoxville, Brucato played four years of NCAA Division III hockey for Johnson and Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. He then competed in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) for a total of six years, five years with the Knoxville Ice Bears and one year with the Birmingham Bulls.
Before working with the Ice Vols, Brucato also coached juniors, both 16U AA and 18U AA.
Looking ahead to this season, he expects a fresh start for the program.
“We’re starting somewhere fresh. Bringing in everybody that we brought in, from coaching staff and players, and just seeing where it’s going. It’s gonna be exciting,” said Brucato.
As head coach Rod Simmons enters his 39th season coaching, he’s looking forward to watching the team grow into a family. He believes that drive and structure will guide his players to do just that.
“Obviously, we’d like to win as much as possible, but there’s more than one way to win, and we’re going to concentrate on being the best we can to help the student-athletes do that,” said Simmons.
Corson Cramer will also be returning as the DII goalie coach.
As tryouts wrap up and practices officially begin, Tennessee College Hockey is anticipating a transformative season with the help of the new coaching staff.
The DIII Ice Vols will open their season on Sept. 11 at Georgia Tech, while the DII team will hit the ice against Auburn on Oct. 2 at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum.