He admits it is a steep learning curve, but Newcastle Northstars head coach John Kennedy Jr has gone into his new role with an open mind.
Kennedy, a defenceman for the Northstars who wore shirt number 5 for six years, stepped up to the top job ahead of the 2019 Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season.
“As a player, you get to think about yourself, you’re worried about yourself – how do you perform better day in, day out?” he tells Newcastle Weekly.
“As a coach, you’ve got to look at the full spectrum, you know, from back to front – the goaltender, defencemen, forwards.
“So, holistically, it’s grown me and, just in the short amount of time in coaching, two or three months, it’s been a massive learning curve.
“[But] if I keep an open mind to learning, to gaining knowledge about [coaching], and using my skillset, then I’ll enjoy this year.”
The 31-year-old, who hails from Saginaw, Michigan, played NCAA college hockey and had a stint at semi-professional level for the Dayton Gems, Ohio.
He then came out to Australia in 2012 and joined the Canberra Knights, before moving to Newcastle.
Kennedy believes the AIHL’s standards, on and off the ice, have improved during his time in the country.
“I can say, over the past five or six years, the amount of investment and the calibre of players that are here and are coming here is getting better, so that helps from the import side of things,” he says.
“But the local talent is also getting better – a lot of our kids are going overseas and coming back and playing for teams, so the overall level of the game has increased.”
The Northstars will start the 2019 season with a home double header on April 27 and 28 against the Sydney Bears and Melbourne Ice.
Kennedy says he plans to finish the campaign with a championship, but “so does every team until you get punched in the face”.
The Northstars squad will be bolstered by the return of key players from last season, as well as late 2018 import Sammy Banga.
The focus right now, Kennedy says, is making sure the local players are ready.
“[We want] to have them ready so the imports can fall in line with us,” he says.
“We don’t rely solely on our imports to carry this team because, in that sense, the league has grown where you can’t do that to win a championship – it takes a full team.”
Despite this, he knows Banga’s return will be a big boost for the Northstars.
The Canadian forward recorded 34 points in 2018, which consisted of 16 goals and 18 assists.
“He’s a natural at putting the puck in the back of the net, so we’re very excited to have him back,” Kennedy says.
“As good as he is on the ice, he’s an amazing character off the ice – a good guy to have in the locker room.”
You can buy tickets for the Northstars season through the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on 4954 4499.
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