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HP Director Recognized with AHCA Award

By Minnesota Hockey, 01/21/19, 3:00PM CST

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Mike MacMillan Named 2019 John "Snooks" Kelly Founder Award Recipient

Picture (L to R): Mike MacMillan, Brennan Poderzay, Steve Carroll

Minnesota Hockey High Performance Director Mike MacMillan has been named the 2019 recipient of the American Hockey Coaches Association's (AHCA) John "Snooks" Kelley Founders Award. Named after the famed Boston College coach, this award honors those people in the coaching profession who have contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of ice hockey in the United States. 

Mike MacMillan has coached at the youth, high school and college levels since the early 1980's. In addition he has worked in player and coach development in Minnesota and Nationally. Mike currently holds the position of USA Hockey National Coach-In-Chief which oversees the Coaching Education Programs in the United States. Mike sits on USA Hockey's Youth Council and Player Development Committee also representing the coaching program on other committees.

Mike has been involved with USA Hockey since 1989 beginning as a coaching instructor delivering the Coaching Education Program. He also is the Director of Minnesota Hockey's CCM High Performance Programs (Player Development) for the State of Minnesota Hockey.

Mike was the Head Coach of the USA Hockey National Sled Development Head from 2011 - 2018, in that capacity he worked with athletes competing and training for placement on the USA Hockey National and Olympic Teams. Mike represented USA Hockey in 2014 as Sled Representative on a US State Department mission with Russia and traveled to 5 cities in Russia over 14 days working with Disabled athletes and meeting with the leaders of disabled sport in Russia. Mike is also a founding member of the Hendrickson Family Foundation which supports Disabled Hockey (Sled, Special and Wounded Warrior) in Minnesota.

Since 2006 Mike has held the position with the Minnesota Hockey High School Coaches Association (MHCA) as its Executive Director. MHCA represents 300+ member coaches and 160 High School programs.

Mike coached at the high school level for 30 years beginning in Menomonie, WI before coaching in New Ulm, MN. Mike retired as the Head Hockey Coach at Buffalo High School in 2011. As the High School Coach, Mike co-chaired the committee to build a new state of the art facility and developed training programs to benefit local players and the local hockey association. Mike has been selected as Section 6AA Coach of Year and 3 Time Conference Coach of Year.

In 2014-15 Mike accepted the position as Assistant Coach at Hamline University with responsibilities for goalies and defenseman. In the staff's first year they guided the Pipers to a MIAC Championship and NCAA Division III birth.

Mike has also been recognized by his peers as MHCA Section Coach of the Year, Conference Coach of the Year, Bruce Johnson Award Winner and the Dave Peterson Award Winner. In addition Mike was given the Minnesota Hockey President's Award in 2011 and a two time recipient of the USA Hockey Presidents Award and he has been inducted into the Buffalo Hockey Hall of Fame.

Mike is married to Susie and has two children: Jackie – Head Women's Coach at College of St. Scholastica and Michael a Pharmacist with the VA in Santa Maria, CA.

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