David Dyson — former coach for the successful Bartlett Wildhawks Club — has joined the Oak Park River Forest Hockey Club as its new hockey director and varsity coach.
Dyson lead the Bartlett Wildhawks Club to a seven-year run, according to an Oak Park River Forest Hockey Club news release. He led the team to the Blackhawk Cup Championship game in 2012 and the semi-finals in 2013.
“When I started in Bartlett, we barely had enough kids for one team,” said Dyson in an Oak Park River Forest Park Hockey Club press release. “For the 2012-2013 season, we were able to field three very competitive teams.”
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Dyson was also named the Metro West Coach of the Year in 2012 and received the Lori Maly Distinguished Service Award in 2010.
“Coaching hockey at this level is about more than developing better hockey players,” said Dyson in the news release. “It’s about developing better people. Over 80-percent of our kids were on the honor roll last year and we’ll expect a strong commitment to academics and community service from the players in Oak Park.”
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Huskies spring clinics started the first week of April at Johnny’s Ice House East and run through the end of May. The clinics are open to bantam, incoming freshman and returning OPRF players and have given Dyson the chance to meet players and parents.
“There’s a real sense of excitement in the hockey community,” said Dyson. “We’re going to build a top 10 or 15 hockey program here in Oak Park. It will be hard work but I can’t wait to get started.”
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