New Head Coach James Cadzow Looks to Right the Ship for CMU Hockey
For the first time since 2014, Central Michigan’s DIII Hockey team will be under new leadership. After three years at the helm, Tyler Cataline has stepped down, and a new era of Chippewa hockey is on the horizon. Last month, the team announced the hiring of James Cadzow as the new Head Coach heading into the 2017-18 season. He will be the third head coach in program history.
The Mississauga, Ontario native and Michigan State graduate is coming to Central Michigan fresh off a head coaching job for the Eastside Stars, a co-op high school hockey program consisting of players from East Lansing, Holt, Haslett, Williamston, Bath, and Laingsburg. James played Tier 1 Junior A hockey for Compuware back in the North American League at the height of his playing career, then transitioned into giving back to the game that gave him so much.
His coaching career has taken him throughout all levels of youth hockey, then eventually found himself coaching at the high school level. His first taste of high school hockey began at Holt High School as a part of Jon Gilbert’s staff. After assuming Gilbert’s role at Holt, he then transitioned over to the Stars program last season for his 4th year of coaching high school hockey.
Cadzow says the reason he got into coaching was to develop young men on and off the ice, and that he feels that he has grown to love coaching “just as much, if not more” than he loved playing the game.
James Cadzow (back left) became the head coach of the Eastside Stars in 2016, and led them to a record of 7-14 in the CAAC (Photo: @goeastsidestars)
As the Head Coach of the Stars, Cadzow inherited a program that had lost their drive and motivation to play the game, “They came from a tough spot where there were some kids that had lost motivation and love for the game… it became no fun because there wasn’t a good environment or freedom to express themselves as players,” said Cadzow. He fixed all that with one mindset: Family First. “Once the kids buy into that mentality, everything else really falls into place.”
Cadzow plans on bringing that same mentality over to Central Michigan, “Speaking with the boys… they’re missing that strong leadership element. The talent, the want, the ability is there… they’re just missing that driving piece to the puzzle that’s going to hold them accountable.” Cadzow says he has never met a more mature group that is ready to compete. “It’s going to be a very strong, disciplined, committed bunch of kids,” says Cadzow.
Assistant/Goalie Coach Zach Richards coaches CMU DIII netminders Riley Morgan and Trevor Whitehead at optional skate at ICE Arena in Mt. Pleasant on May 3rd. (Tyler Marcotte)
