Gary Wenzel takes over as North Stars coach

Gary Wenzel  has coached so many future NHLers he has a hard time recalling them all.

Locally, count Patrick Sharp, Alex Auld and Taylor Pyatt among the youngsters he helped guide on their way to the big leagues.

The 45-year-old is hoping to recapture that magic next season when he steps behind the bench of the Thunder Bay North Stars, taking over the reins from Superior International Junior Hockey League coach-of-the-year Jeremy Adduono, whose contract expired.

Wenzel’s hockey resume is stellar.

A three-year veteran in the Ontario Hockey League as a player, the Thunder Bay-born Wenzel spent a season behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Belleville Bulls before returning home to take over the Thunder Bay Flyers’ United States Hockey League squad for a season, guiding the team to a 19-30-7 mark.

But it was at the bantam and midget level where he enjoyed his most success as a coach, winning a Bantam AAA Ontario championship with the Thunder Bay Kings in 1997.

Most recently he spent time with the Kings midget team in 2013-14, and said he’s excited to get back behind the bench after taking last season off.

“We’ve got a good group of kids that are returning and we’ve got some good coaches who are working beside me to try to develop these kids any way we can to get them up to the next level.”

Wenzel , who coached current Stars Avery Siau and Brad Belisle in midget, said the goal is to get the team to compete hard every night and help return the team to its glory days.

Thunder Bay hasn’t won an SIJHL championship since 2010, after winning five titles in a seven-season span starting in 2004.

“I’m somewhat of a players’ coach, but I make my players accountable,” Wenzel said. “Every night you come to work and practices and I want these kids to represent themselves well in the community and be respectful.

“I always said the game of hockey is important to get yourself opportunities to make it as a hockey player, but more importantly maybe make these kids better people down the road.”

North Stars owner Doug Gunsinger said it was just a matter of wanting to go in a different direction after Adduono’s two-year deal expired.
“It was just a decision I thought was for the best at this time,” he said.

“I just thought that a change for the team (was good). We’ve been losing, so I figured we’d switch it up a bit and see what else we can do.”

Adduono, who hopes to remain in the game, said the decision was a mutual one, after he led the team to 67-36-5 record over two seasons.

The former Buffalo Sabres draft pick said he’s got mixed emotions stepping aside.

“But at the end of the day I fulfilled my two-year obligation with the North Stars organization and I guess the best way I can put it at this time is it’s in both our best interests to go our own way,” the 36-year-old said on Thursday, after Wenzel’s hiring broke.

The North Stars lost out in the SIJHL semifinal to top-ranked Fort Frances, falling in five games.