After nearly five years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Bemidji State, Eddie Olczyk has resigned from his position with the men’s hockey program and will join the front office staff of the Seattle Kraken, the NHL’s newest franchise, as an amateur scout.
“This is a great opportunity for Eddie to advance his career at the professional level,” said BSU coach Tom Serratore in a news release. “His eye for talent is second to none. There is no doubt Eddie has helped continue the long-standing championship tradition here and I am sure he is going to do an outstanding job for Seattle.”
Olczyk’s duties with the Kraken begin soon and include working with the rest of the front office staff to shape the organization through the NHL Draft.
“First, I have to thank Tom (Serratore) for entrusting me with a role in this storied program alongside both he and Travis (Winter),” said Olczyk. “I have had other stops in my coaching career, but as a part of this staff I have gained a greater understanding of the attributes to look for in a player and how to better evaluate them. I’ve also learned to see the game from a different perspective and the true definition of work ethic. Those skills have afforded me the opportunity to move on and help build an NHL expansion franchise from the ground up.
“I want to thank the Bemidji community for welcoming us with open arms four years ago. I am really going to miss working with our players on a daily basis. The level of dedication the guys have to this program, the amount of work they put in, and watching them grow and succeed make this job so rewarding. I also want to thank our athletic training, equipment and strength and conditioning staffs and well as all the others who work hard behind the scenes at Sanford Center and on campus to make Beaver hockey a success. The support behind this program is something I will not forget.”
Details are being finalized to secure Olczyk’s replacement. The announcement of the addition to the BSU coaching staff is expected within the week.
