Last we saw of Solar Bears head coach Anthony Noreen, he was explaining to PPP that he and the Solar Bears were going to spend the off-season rebuilding the team so that they had the "right personnel" on the ice. Today, a tweet had us looking at this conversation in a different light.
John Buccigross @Buccigross
Hearing Orlando Solar Bears Head Coach Anthony Noreen is a finalist for @StLawrenceU job. Before that in USHL (Youngstown). #cawlidgehawkeyAccording to John Buccigross, Noreen is a finalist for a head coach position at St. Lawrence University. This coaching position became free when coach Greg Carvel left to take on a coaching job at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, one of a number of coaching changes at the college this summer.
The three finalists for the position include Noreen, former Clarkson and current Manchester Monarchs head coach Mark Morris, and Rochester Americans head coach Chadd Cassidy.
Noreen's background is in college hockey. He spent four years playing at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point before becoming assistant coach for two seasons following graduation. After that, he spent four seasons as head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms (famously helping to develop Kyle Connor) before landing with the Solar Bears.
Will Noreen remain in Orlando if this position falls through, or will he look to rejoin a league that focuses on development rather than the sport at a professional level? Noreen's interest in hockey has always emphasized player development, as he's often discussed with Orlando media:
"Your job as a coach is to be a teacher, I always say to my teams, 'Whether we have lost 10 in a row, whether we have won 10 in a row, my job doesn't change. My job is to help you become a better hockey player.'"
According to Buccigross, interviews for the position conclude this week.
Earlier today, Kyle Dubas weighed in about the affiliation, providing no new insight into renewal, but a lot of praise for the Solar Bears organization (starts at the six minute mark):