University of Connecticut Athletics
Former Hockey Standout Trevor Stewart Takes On Head Coaching Job Of Missoula Maulers
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. (September 25 , 2008) - Former University of Connecticut hockey standout Trevor Stewart has found a new home in Missoula Montana as the coach of the Missoula Maulers a team affiliated with the GHL.
Stewart was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies and captained the team during his senior year in 2006-07. Also during his senior year, Stewart was named the best defensive forward of the Atlantic Hockey League. In his four years as a Husky, Stewart played in 129 total games, good for ninth on the Husky Division I all time list, scored 20 goals and recorded 42 helpers for 62 points. Stewart broke out during his senior year scoring more points in that year alone than in the previous three before it.
Now, Stewart is taking on the task of head coach of the Missoula Maulers, a group of hockey players ranging in age from 16-20.
MICHAEL HEINBACH of the Missoulian sat down with Stewart to talk about his new job as the head coach of the Maulers.
Q: First off, what do you think of Missoula so far?
A: It's absolutely great. It's a good community and the people have been very supportive and friendly. It sure does seem like a great city to raise a family.
Q: How did you become aware of the head coaching opening in Missoula and why do you think you were chosen as the best candidate for the job?
A: I had ambitions of being a college coach, and I still do. I was told by a friend at Alaska-Anchorage to throw my resume out there to everybody in order to see where I could possibly land. I sent one out here and a few weeks later they called me and flew me out right after Christmas. When I got here I hit it off with the ownership and management. Not long after that they let me know I was on board.
Q: UConn is known for its men's and women's basketball programs, not hockey. Why did you decide to play hockey there and what was the experience like?
A: I always wanted to play Division I hockey. That became a goal once I started playing. While playing high school hockey in Minnesota and when I was playing juniors, they recruited me, I chose to go there because it's a good D-I school and I had the chance to play right away and be an impact player. I'm very pleased with the choice I made. Sure, our games barely made the back page of the (Hartford, Conn.) Courant. But I knew that going in the team wouldn't get as much exposure as the basketball teams. Those teams do deserve all the credit they get and they are very classy organizations. Still, we had some great fans and I enjoyed the experience.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge you've faced as the Maulers' head coach thus far?
A: I guess the biggest challenge is just being able to relate to the 16- to 20-year-olds and being kind of like a parent or mentor to them. We have kind of a damage control situation with kids that age and we're working toward being good members of the community. It's the ... discipline that's the real challenge. But I love a challenge and I love working with the kids and seeing them improve from day to day.
Q: While the growing number of hockey fans in Missoula came out and supported the team in big numbers last year, the Maulers struggled on the ice. In what specific ways will this team be different from a year ago?
A: I think we have more guys here for the right reasons. These guys want to move up and advance their hockey careers. That's not possible if they're not here for the right reasons. I think we did a good job of recruiting guys who fit that profile, but time will tell if it will work out. I'm pretty optimistic the guys are buying into our system and we're going to win some hockey games.
Q: Describe your style of coaching and tell me how this team fits that style?
A: I think we're going to be a highly skilled offensive hockey team and while I don't want to take away their individual creativity, I want to mold their styles into making it a team game. That way we can put the best possible product on the ice. I didn't recruit a team, I recruited 21 individual hockey players. It's my job to mold them into a team.
Q: The preseason is winding down. At this point are you and the guys just raring to go?
A: We are. We had practice for two straight weeks prior to our exhibition game (Friday night) and you could tell the guys were getting frustrated with practice - and I was too and they knew it.
Q: Have you set specific goals for the upcoming season and if so, what are they?
A: Last week we had all the players write down individual and team goals. This week we'll come back at them and share some of the common team goals they've written down and then we'll decide what our specific goals are. But I'm a firm believer in goal setting.
Lightning round
Favorite type of skates? Bauer Vapor 30s.
Is it true Storrs is where cow tipping was invented? That very well could be true.
What's your favorite NHL team? I'd have to say the New Jersey Devils.
What's the best thing you have discovered about Missoula so far? Within 20 minutes you get away and do it all. You can hike, mountain bike ... whatever. There's also definitely some culture here and a very eclectic downtown.
**Thanks to MICHAEL HEINBACH of the Missoulian
