ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University NCAA men's hockey team has announced the addition of Casey Kirley as the program's assistant coach.
Kirley comes to the Thunder having served as an assistant coach for the Shreveport Mudbugs of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) for the past two seasons. While there he worked with forwards and special teams as the Mudbugs picked up regular season and playoff titles during the 2017-18 season.
Previously, Kirley served as an assistant coach of the North Iowa Bulls of the NA3HL helping them to regional regular season and playoff championships while breaking multiple league single-season records. Kirley worked primarily with defensemen and special teams while with the team.
He has also served as a scout and director of player personnel for multiple teams including the above and the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) and the Austin Bruins (NAHL).
Kirley graduated from the UW-Stout with a degree in business administration in 2014. While there he was a member of the Blue Devil men's hockey team for four seasons.
The Thunder ended their second season with a 10-13-2 record overall while going 6-11-1 in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA). The finish marked a four-win improvement, both overall and in the NCHA, over their inaugural season.
The team also picked up their first NCHA postseason award with newcomer Garrett Hallford (McKinney, Texas) earning NCHA Co-Freshman of the Year honors.