Former Vernon Laker McGroarty Named Stars Associate Head Coach:

This is posted on the Lincoln Stars website:

STARS ANNOUNCE CHAD JOHNSON AS HEAD COACH AND GENERAL MANAGER

The Lincoln Stars today announced that Chad Johnson has been named Head Coach and General Manager of the team. Johnson, currently the Associate Head Coach for the USHL’s Fargo Force, will join the Stars immediately following the conclusion of the Force’s season. Jimmy McGroarty, who took over as the Stars’ Head Coach/GM prior to the 2007-08 season, has assumed the position of Associate Head Coach on the Stars’ coaching staff.

“We’re excited and looking forward to the 2010-11 season with the addition of Chad and the entire coaching staff that we now have in place,” said Stars President Jim Pflug. “We’ve always had high standards and high expectations for our teams, and the bottom line is we weren’t competitive in the win/loss column this year. We know we won’t win it all every year, but we do expect to go into each game with a mindset that we’re going to win tonight’s game, and at times this year, we didn’t seem to have that confidence.”

“There’s no doubt the kids played hard every night, and we’re proud of their effort, as well as that of our coaching staff. We believe the changes we’re making give us the best chance to be challenging for championships in the USHL. We owe that to our fans.”

Johnson’s coaching career began in Lincoln during the Stars’ inaugural Clark Cup championship season in 1996, and led him to several positions as an assistant and as a head coach in the North American Hockey League. “We felt Chad was ready to be a head coach in the USHL three years ago when we went through our interview process,” said Pflug “but believed that Jimmy was what our organization needed at that given time. Since that time, Chad has gained even more valuable experience, including coaching with Dean Blais (current University of Nebraska at Omaha head coach and 2010 U.S. World Junior championship head coach). With Chad, Jimmy, and Nick Fouts, we have a solid coaching staff with different skills and different networks that, when combined, will improve our ability to identify and develop high-end players that are needed to compete in the USHL.”

For Johnson, the primary attractions to the Lincoln job were the team’s history, and the fan support that has become well-known around the league. “Obviously, I’m excited to get back to Lincoln and for the opportunity to be a part of the Stars organization. I’ve been fortunate to be able to see a lot of games at every level of hockey, and Lincoln’s game night atmosphere and fan support is still the best there is. We’ll be working tirelessly during the weeks leading up to the draft in May to evaluate our strengths and deficiencies, and come up with a plan to make next year’s team the best that we can.”

McGroarty compiled a 92-80-21 record in his three seasons as head coach, and guided the Stars to the USHL Clark Cup semi-finals during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. “Jimmy’s been as hard working and passionate as any coach I’ve seen in this league, and his continued involvement with our organization is important,” said Pflug. “We’re definitely planning on him being a big part of our future success.”