The Fife Flyers Ice Hockey Club are pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Coolen as Head Coach for the 2023/24 season.
The Canadian-born Coolen will come to Fife with over 15 years experience as Head Coach in various leagues across Europe and North America. He is a two-time winner of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Coach of the Year award, and a three-time Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Coach of the Year recipient. He built two National Championship teams at Acadia University and 5 AUS champions at Acadia and the University of New Brunswick. He has performed as an Assistant Coach at the national hockey level with the Polish National Team in 2017/2018 and the Latvian National Team from 2012-2015, including coaching Latvia at the 2014 Winter Olympics and three IIHF World Championships. He also served as Assistant Coach for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL under Ted Nolan for the 2014/2015 season.
On making the move to the EIHL, Coolen commented, “I am really excited to be going to Fife. I have followed the Elite League more closely over the last few years. I competed against Belfast in the Continental Cup three years ago and am familiar with the caliber. He continued, “I look forward to icing a team that Fife Flyers fans can be proud of. A team that battles every game.
Fife Flyers’ Director, Tom Muir commented on the appointment, “We are excited to welcome Tom Coolen to the Fife Flyers. Throughout our search for a Head Coach, we knew we wanted someone with previous coaching experience and Tom comes to Scotland with an extensive amount of experience and a vast network of contacts at all levels. We’re looking forward to working with Coach Coolen as we continue to build his squad for the upcoming season.”