Partially out of hibernation, the Maryland Black Bears made plenty of noise this week as they opened their main camp. Some coaching changes and naming of the 2022-23 captain were revealed as things get started back up at The Den at Piney Orchard.
First, the Black Bears announced Kim Weiss has been boosted up to Associate Head Coach alongside Head Coach Clint Mylymok. Weiss joined the Black Bears as an assistant coach last season and made an immediate impact on the players with the skill set she brought over from her time with the Washington Pride teams as a coach and her time playing with Trinity College.
“Kim has been a great fit for the Maryland Black Bears, and we are excited to promote her to Associate Head Coach this season. She is a tireless worker, and an extremely talented coach,” said Mylymok in the Black Bears release. “The most important aspect is that she has the players’ trust and does a great job helping them develop as people just as much as she develops them as players.”
While Weiss is moving up, last year’s other assistant is moving on– as Dylan Schoen has left the team to take on a coaching role at Bemidji State University. The Ellicott City native comes off his first year as an assistant and second year as coach in the NAHL– previously being the goaltending coach in Amarillo.
“Just as it is with the players, Maryland prides itself on developing their coaches and helping push them to the next level. Dylan was a great addition to our staff last year, and made it fun coming to the office,” mentioned Mylymok in a release. “He was great with the players, is very knowledgeable, and more importantly, Bemidji is getting a really good person involved with their program. We wish Dylan all the best in his next endeavor.”
No word on when a new assistant coach will be named.
To round out the news ahead of camp, Brad McNeil was named the captain for the 2022-23 season. The Royal Oak, Michigan native will be the sixth captain in team history and is coming off a solid campaign which saw him register 29 points and show off his intangibles in playing every situation that was thrown at him. McNeil will be coming back for his third season with Maryland.
“I’ve learned so much from the previous leaders that I’ve had the opportunity to play with in my time here. I look forward to coming back for a third season and playing in front of our great fans,” McNeil said in a the team release.
“Brad McNeil epitomizes what leadership is. He does whatever is asked of him; always puts his teammates first; represents our program with class, on and off the ice; and is an extremely hard working individual,” coach Mylymok stated. “This kid could play in any era of hockey and have success. We are fortunate to have him in Maryland.”
And that’s just ahead of the first day of main camp. Plenty of time left to see the camp for yourself, with the Futures Game and All-Star Game being played on Sunday. It’s all free of charge to attend, just check out MarylandBlackBears.com for more information on exact ice times.
Clutch And Crab Hockey 