Episode 90: Kory Cooper

Episode 93: Colin Schlenker. U23 defenseman for the Adler Mannheim Colin Schlenker joined the prohockeypod this week. In this episode, we dive into detail on topics like:-growing up in Schwenningen-moving away from home at a young age-winning a U20 Championship-signing in the DEL-continuing to learn/improve as a young player-future goals-winning the daySchlenks is a funny young kid who brings a lot of positive energy. People can’t help but smile when you see him. Hope you enjoy.

Episode 92: Hayden Shaw. NCAA D1 Champion and current Adler Mannheim defenseman Hayden Shaw joined the prohockeypod this week. In this episode, we jump into detail on topics like:-being coached multiple times by his dad-High school hockey in Minnesota-winning NCAA Championship with North Dakota-the North American pro grind-transition to Germany-battling adversity as an undersized playerHayden is genuinely a good guy and I was happy to chat with him. Sorry for my mic malfunctioning for a few minutes but hope you enjoy.

Episode 91: Todd Hlushko. Todd Hlushko is a scout for the Adler Mannheim in the DEL and has been a very big asset for the team. He grew up in southern Ontario and played his junior hockey in the OHL. He was drafted as a 20 year old to the Washington Capitals (one of many funny stories) and began his pro career. Todd played games in the NHL and AHL but also played for Team Canada for 2 seasons, as well as the 1994 Olympics. Canada would go on to surprise a lot of teams at these Olympics and win the Silver Medal. I talked to Todd about this experience and just allowed him to take me through the tournament. Todd would eventually make his way to Germany where he played for 3 teams, one of them being the Adler Mannheim where he won a DEL Championship and has worked for them since as a scout. His ability to scout/engage with players, sell the Mannheim program to them and their agents/families is a very important talent. We dove deep into Todd’s philosophy behind it and how he has grown these skills. I have a lot of respect for Todd and the work he does for Mannheim. Very happy to call him a friend and be able to join him on some scouting trips. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 89: Adam Dennis. Fellow goalie and current president of the North Bay Battalion Adam Dennis stopped by the pro hockeypod this week to share his story and his rise in Major Junior Hockey. I was fortunate enough to train many summers with Adam at a local goalie school and followed his career with great interest. Adam was a 14th round draft pick to the Guelph Storm of the OHL but he didn’t let that stop him from achieving his goals. A couple years later Adam was a starting goalie in the OHL appearing in back to back Memorial Cups , where in his second season, he would hoist the trophy with the London Knights and in doing so Adam was drafted to the NHL by the Buffalo Sabres, soon beginning his pro journey. This included three years in the AHL before heading over to Europe to play in Italy and Germany. He was also fortunate to represent the Italian National team in multiple tournaments during his career. Once he was done playing, Adam received a job with the OHL player development for three years before joining the North Bay Battalion as a assistant coach, assistant, general manager, and goalie coach. We talked about all his responsibilities and what he learned along the way. He was then promoted to General Manager of North Bay, where they appeared in three straight conference finals in the OHL. Adam has since then been promoted to President of the hockey club. It was great to catch up with an old training partner who I looked up to and hear how he has worked his way up the ranks. We still had lots to talk about so could be a follow up episode coming. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 88: Tom Upton. Tom first grew up on Long Island and shared some memories of going to Islander’s games as a kid. He would move to Austin, Texas at 10 years old which was a different hockey experience for him. He would go on to play parts of 4 seasons in the NAHL before deciding to attend D3 Wisconsin Stevens-Point University. He talked about his amazing 4 years there and how he is still close with a group of teammates to this day. One of them is last week’s guest, Anthony Noreen, who both played with and coached Tom at UWSP. After graduating, Tom would also stay on as an Assistant Coach and begin his coaching journey. This journey has taken Tom through various leagues such as the USHL, NAHL and NCAA Division 1. Tom is now in his 4th season at the University of Massachusetts, working under a veteran coach in Greg Carvel. We talked about his crazy route to where he is and what he has learned along the way. I was also curious to Coach Carvel’s impact on Tom. Tom brought up the word “hard” and that is a common theme at UMass. Everyone needs to be hard and Tom gave many examples of what it means. It is easy to see why UMass has been on a great path for the past 10+ seasons and why Tom is a good fit there. Like anyone, he still has dreams and one of those is the NHL. A potential awesome achievement for a kid from Texas. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 87: Anthony Noreen. After a little break, the prohockeypod returned this week with Miami of Ohio Head Coach Anthony Noreen. Anthony has been a journey man who coached 16 years in various leagues before getting this NCAA Division 1 job. He grew up in the Chicago area and was immediately integrated into hockey from his father. Anthony would go through Junior hockey before heading off to D3 Wisconsin Stevens-Point. He talked about how he went on a visit with a teammate and fell in love with the set up right away. He knew this is where he wanted to be. After 4 years of playing, Anthony would stay at this University as a Graduate Assistant Coach. He took on a lot of roles and was “thrown into the fire” right away, while not earning any salary. After Wisconsin, Anthony would get a job in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms. Over 5 seasons, he would help get the club on the right path and also win Coach of the Year in 14/15. A pro coaching opportunity would come available with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL (who were affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs). Anthony talked about his 2 years there and how he learned a lot observing from affiliated coaches. He would then return to the USHL, this time with the Tri-City Storm, where he would spend 7 seasons as HC and GM. During this time, he would win Coach of the Year 2 more times, as well as win a Gold Medal with Team USA U19 in 2018/2019. Finally after so many years of grinding and building his resume, Anthony received the Head Coaching job at Miami of Ohio University. He talked about how it was a dream come true and how he had been there previously years before which solidified his desire to coach there one day. We talked about his journey, the campus, set up and how he likes to build his teams. He is very excited about the future/potential at Miami of Ohio and it was clear how true his passion is. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 86: Marc Langbein. It was good to finally have on an agent who I see around the rinks a lot here in Germany, Marc Langbein. Marc grew up in the Bietigheim area in Germany and so began his passion for hockey. Marc cofounded Win-Win Sports Agency back in 2018. On this episode, we talked a lot about the agency business, some things Marc has learned along the way, and as well as the types of clients they look to attract at Win-Win. For me, it was nice to have a look into Marc’s life and the philosophy they have within the agency. Marc talked about the grind of starting out and how the company has grown over the years. He also touched on a personal achievement from the company when one of their athletes was drafted in the 4th round to the NHL in 2024. Small victories like this are part of the reasons agents like Marc have a passion for their job. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 85: Damon Whitten. Lake Superior State University HC Damon Whitten joined the prohockeypod this week. He started his hockey career as a goalie and played until he was in his Junior year of highschool before switching to forward. It seemed to be an easy transition as Damon would go on to play tier 2 junior hockey in multiple leagues before heading off to Michigan State University. He would spend 4 years there playing alongside the likes of goalie Ryan Miller and forward Shawn Horcoff, both who went on to have respectable NHL careers. After school, Damon spent 2 years in the ECHL where he won a Kelly Cup with the Greenville Grrrowl. After this, Damon would make the switch to coaching and spend 2 years at Wayne State University. Damon then moved to Univ. Of Alaska-Anchorage where I was very eager to talk to him about his living experiences. He joked about seeing a lot of wild life but enjoyed his time there. Damon would then get a chance back at Michigan State as Director of Hockey Operations. I picked his brain about his day to day responsibilities and how he felt it was a very importance experience for his coaching career. Damon went on to Michigan Tech for 4 years, coaching a buddy of mine, before getting his first HC job at Lake Superior, where he has been stationed for the past 11 seasons. This episode is full of great helpful experiences as well as advice for any young coaches out there. Happy Damon had the time to share them with me. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 84: Ben Syer. Ben grew up in a small town and was drawn to hockey immediately. Coming from a family of teacher’s, Ben knew the act of hard work and earning everything you got. He would go on to play Junior B hockey before attending Western University. After University, Ben would get an opportunity at Quinnipiac University that would change his career path forever. Since this opportunity, Ben has been involved in college hockey for the past 20 + years. He worked 10+ years at Quinnipiac University, 13 years at Cornell before moving on to Princeton where he just finished his first season as Head Coach. We joked about his early days of recruiting where he carried around a huge binder with players names and contacts in it. We talked about how he learned over the years of working alongside great coaches and how he was ready to make the jump to the big chair. Ben also shared the types of players he looks to recruit at his programs. Unfortunately the video feed malfunctioned a bit and only works when I am speaking. Luckily the audio from Ben is still there so you can hear him speaking. It was great to talk to Ben and someone who has been involved in college hockey for so long. Hope you enjoy!