The Buccaneers Get Their Man - Mike Guentzel Hired as Head Coach

BUCCANEERS GET THEIR MAN

MIKE GUENTZEL NAMED AS BUCS HEAD COACH

URBANDALE, IA – Des Moines Buccaneers General Manager J.P. Parisé announced today that Colorado College Assistant Coach Mike Guentzel has been named Head Coach of the Des Moines Buccaneers. Guentzel, a 23-year veteran of coaching, has spent the last 15 seasons at the NCAA Division I level with the University of Minnesota, and most recently with Colorado College of the WCHA. Guentzel will be responsible for all coaching aspects of the Buccaneers while Parisé will maintain his current role as General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations.

Guentzel spent 14 seasons (1994-2008) as an assistant at the University of Minnesota where he helped lead the Gophers to back-to-back NCAA Championships. In addition, he coached five Gopher defensemen to All-American honors, including the 2002 Hobey Baker Award winner Jordan Leopold.

The Buccaneers began their search for a new head coach after recently named coach, Dave Allison, accepted a position with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Allison made that decision when it was unclear if he would be able to secure the proper visa in time for the 2009-10 season. “Once we became aware of Coach Allison’s situation, we immediately turned our focus toward securing Mike as our next head coach” said Buccaneers owner Gil Peled. “I am confident that he will help re-establish the Des Moines Buccaneers as one of the top franchises in the USHL.”

Dave Allison echoed Peled’s analysis of Guentzel. “The loyal Buccaneer fans are fortunate to have such an experienced, successful coach at the helm. And the players should be well prepared to take their game to another level. This will definitely be a team that I look forward to watching over the course of the year, and wish them all the best.”

General Manager J.P. Parisé shared his excitement regarding the Guentzel hiring. “He has a great understanding of the USHL and is very familiar with the players in this league from his recruiting experience at the college level,” said Parisé. “He has a history of putting winning teams on the ice, and advancing players to the highest levels of the sport. Today, I am extremely excited to announce that Mike has accepted this position with our team.”

Parisé went on to say, “The most important thing to me was that Mike is not only a great coach but a great person and family man. With his background at the college level, he understands the importance of education to our league, as well as developing our players as people and students just as much as hockey players.”

USHL Commissioner Skip Prince was just as enthusiastic. “Mike and I spoke early on in my tenure here,” said Prince, “and I was impressed by both his knowledge of hockey at the junior and collegiate levels, and by his love and respect for the USHL. We welcome his return to the League on behalf of one its most storied Member Clubs.”

Guentzel is no stranger to the USHL or the Des Moines Buccaneers. Prior to coaching at the collegiate level Guentzel served as the head coach of The St. Paul Vulcans (1989-92) and the Omaha Lancers (1992-94) of the USHL. He led St. Paul to a Junior A national title in 1991, an Anderson Cup (regular season championship) with Omaha in 1993, and back-to-back Clark-Cups (playoff championship) with the Lancers in 1993 and 1994. Guentzel has twice received the USHL Coach of the Year honor. He shared that honor with Des Moines’ Bob Ferguson in 1992, and in 1993 he was named Coach of the Year when he guided the Omaha Lancers to both the Anderson Cup and the Clark Cup.

“I’m excited to be back in the USHL,” Guentzel commented. “I had good experiences during my eight years in the league. I look forward to re-establishing the tremendous success Des Moines coaches like Bob Ferguson, Scott Owens, and Regg Simon have brought in the past.”

Guentzel, 47, attended and played hockey for the University of Minnesota from 1981 through 1985. He served as team captain his senior year, and was the recipient of the Edwin Romnes Leadership and Sportsmanship Award as well as the Dr. V. George Nagobads Unsung Hero Award while earning his bachelor’s degree in small business and human relations. He went on to enjoy a brief minor-league playing career with the New Haven Night Hawks and Salt Lake City Golden Eagles following graduation, and was drafted by the New York Rangers in 1981.

Guentzel and his wife, Sally, have three sons. The oldest, Ryan, is a junior playing hockey for the University of Notre Dame. Gabe, 21, is a sophomore playing for Colorado College, and their youngest, Jake, plays at the bantam level in Minnesota.

Gabe Fleming Memorial Tournament

1st Annual Gabe Fleming

Memorial Hockey Tournament

September 26th, 2009

9 am - 3 pm

Metro Ice Sports Facility

The 1st Annual Gabe Fleming Memorial Hockey Tournament in honor of fellow hockey player Gabe Fleming will have its inaugural tournament September 26th at Metro Ice Sports Facility.

This tournament will help benefit the Gabe Fleming Memorial Hockey Scholarship Fund that has been set up by Gabe's family and friends to help local youth and high school hcokey players in need of financial assistance. Many kids would love to play our great sport but due to the cost or other reasons they can not afford the necessary equipment or fees to play. This fund will give some of these players the chance they always have wanted to play youth hockey or compete for a spot on a high school team.

This tournament will be one of many events held during the season to raise money for the fund and we hope all can participate to help hockey in the City of Des Moines.

If you would like to make a donation for this fund please contact Tyler Bottoms (tbottoms88@hotmail.com) or Alyson Fleming (alyson@flemingconstructionllc.com).

Click here for the registration forms.

Getting to know one of the newer additions to the team...Peter MacIntosh

This article, titled MacIntosh to play jr. hockey in U.S. loop, first appeared in The Daily Gleaner. It was written by Bruce Hallihan.

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Peter MacIntosh hopes to earn a Division 1 hockey scholarship by going through Des Moines, Iowa.

MacIntosh missed his prom and Leo Hayes High School graduation ceremony to attend a June training camp in Des Moines, but it was worth the trip.

He landed a roster spot on the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League.

Longtime hockey coach Tom Coolen helped MacIntosh get the invite and the six-foot-one, 195-pound defenceman took care of the rest.

"The camp started out with six teams," MacIntosh said. "By the time it got down to two, there were fast-paced games and high intensity.

"I'm hoping to do well and get seen by a few people. I'm hoping this leads to a Division 1 deal in the states."

The Buccaneers are coached by former Ottawa Senators' bench boss Dave Allison. Ex-NHLer J-P. Parise is the team's general manager and director of hockey operations.

"Dave was up front and honest," MacIntosh said. "I felt really appreciated by him. He seems like a real good guy, but at the same time a demanding coach. That's something you look for."

MacIntosh, who turned 17 on May 19, knows he'll have to prove himself all over again at the main camp in September.

"You talk somewhat about (potential) roles," he said, "but until you get down there and prove what you've got, everyone's in the same boat. I'm just going to show them what I've got and hopefully it leads to a major role on the team."

MacIntosh played the past two seasons for the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League - although he was sidelined more than half of last season.

"Last year was a tough year," he said. "I had two freak plays where I happened to break my wrist in the same spot, the growth plate."

He had his right wrist broken during an open-ice collision Nov. 2. Six games after he returned, he had his left wrist broken when he was checked against the boards at the end of January.

"Those are the first two injuries that ever made me miss any games. I feel 100 per cent now," said MacIntosh, who was drafted in the sixth round (109th overall) by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the 2008 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League entry draft.

"I talked to Bathurst off and on the past few years," he said, "but I never went to camp. I really want to play college in the states and I'm sticking to that."

MacIntosh attended both Woodstock and Leo Hayes high schools, averaging 87 over four years.
"I pride myself on my defence, but I feel I play an all-around game," MacIntosh said. "I think my mental game is a strength. I feel like I play a smart game and make good decisions; try to break things up before they happen.

"But I'm always working to try to get better," he said. "To say you're not working on anything sounds crazy. You've got to be working on everything all the time."

MacIntosh played for New Brunswick's under 15 and 16 provincial teams. He also represented Team Atlantic at the 2008 world under-18 hockey challenge in London, Ont.

"That was a tremendous experience," MacIntosh said. "You're playing against some phenomenal hockey players - the best players in the world in your age group. We placed seventh or eighth but we lost a lot of close games."

He was New Brunswick bantam AAA league MVP - and team captain - when Fredericton won the title in 2005-06 and helped the midget AAA Canadiens win the provincial crown the following season.

In 2007-08, he was team rookie of the year for the Slammers, contributing a goal and four assists in 44 games. He also had 69 penalty minutes.

In his abbreviated 2008-09 campaign, he had a pair of power play goals, nine assists and 62 PIM in 23 games.

"I'm grateful to the Woodstock Slammers organization for giving me the opportunity to step in as a 16-year-old and play," MacIntosh said, thanking head coach Jason Tatarnic, owner Andrew McCain "and all the staff."

"Woodstock's a great organization and I loved it there," he said. "It was just time to move on in my hockey career."

Tatarnic says MacIntosh should do fine in the USHL.

"Peter's a quality defenceman," Tatarnic said. "The USHL is a pretty good league, a step up from our league. So in terms of exposure for U.S. colleges, he's going to be seen quite a bit."

Scouts should like what they see, the coach said.

"He's a very responsible defenceman in the defensive zone," Tatarnic said. "He makes a very good first pass. He doesn't jump up into the play all the time, but when he does he picks the right moments.''