Holske Will Be Youngest NCDC Head Coach This Season
The United States Hockey League, and its Tier II Tuition-Free National Collegiate Development Conference, congratulates the South Shore Kings’ Tyler Holske on his promotion to NCDC Head Coach for the Kings. Holske was, until this past weekend, the Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager for the Kings NCDC team, as well as its Goaltending Coach.
“It happened quickly,” said Holske, who has worked with the Kings over the last six years with more tasks and responsibilities than we have space for here. “We start training camp next Monday, so there’s not much time to really think about it all. A lot will change in terms of other tasks I would do for the Kings, and now I’m shifting gears to just focus on the NCDC team.”
Holske replaces former Head Coach Drew Omicioli, who took the head coach job with the Mount St. Charles 18U team. Omicioli coached the Kings from 2019 to 2022, finishing with a 64-62-6-5 and becoming the first Kings coach to leave with a winning record in the NCDC.
“When it came up last week, it caught everyone off guard, but honestly the support was great from [Kings President] Dave Franzosa. It made sense and we moved forward on Sunday,” said Holske. “I’ve had multiple roles here in six years, but I’ve been involved with the NCDC since the team started in 2017.”
Raised in Attleboro, Mass., not far away from the Kings’ home of Foxboro, Holske played junior hockey for the Kings and Boston Junior Bruins (another NCDC organization) before moving on to NCAA hockey at Southern New Hampshire University. There, as a goaltender, he was Assistant Captain as a junior and Captain as a senior in 2013-14. After two seasons of pro hockey in the Netherlands, Holske returned stateside and joined the Kings in 2016-17.
At age 31, Holske will be the youngest Head Coach in the NCDC this season. He and Boston Advantage Head Coach Dan Szerlip, older by two and a half months, were both born in 1991. Utica Jr. Comets Head Coach Louis Educate, born in 1990, is the only other head coach in the league born in the 1990s.
“I know the expectations of this organization from top to bottom. The past three years, in addition to being Drew’s right hand man with the NCDC, I also oversaw our Midget USPHL 16U and 18U teams,” said Holske. “I did most of the video preparation for the NCDC, and on the bench I ran the D and worked with the goalies. Nothing really changes on that front.”
Holske was also one of the Kings’ main recruiters, while helping on the administrative side with all Kings teams from Mite Development to NCDC. Now being the NCDC Head Coach, however, he’ll be requiring some help the way he was invaluable to Omicioli the last few years.
“We have just announced the hiring of Cody Wild as Assistant Coach for the NCDC team,” said Holske. “Cody played three years for the Junior Bruins in the [former] Eastern Junior Hockey League, then went to Providence College where he was an Alternate Captain. He also had an eight-year pro career in the AHL, ECHL, and overseas as well.”
Wild also brings past USPHL coaching experience, having been Head Coach of the former Providence Capitals in the USPHL 16U Division in 2015-16, along with being a member of the Capitals’ former USPHL Elite team’s coaching staff.
Holske is excited to return to the ice for the start of camp next week, seeing a team with scoring depth, strong veteran leadership as well as a core group of 2005-born first-year junior players who will attract heavy NCAA Division I attention. Watch in the coming weeks for the full South Shore Kings NCDC Team Preview!