Steelheads promote assistant coach, former player Neil Graham to head coach
When Brad Ralph resigned as the Steelheads hockey coach Tuesday, it didn’t take long for the organization to find his successor.
After all, Ralph had essentially been grooming the next coach of the ECHL franchise for the past couple of years.
“We had a lot of great resumes that came in, but Neil was at the top of our list,” Steelheads President Eric Trapp said Friday after announcing Neil Graham as the new head coach. “This is our guy.”
Graham came to Idaho as a forward in 2012 before a concussion derailed his playing career. He turned his focus to coaching and spent the past two seasons alongside Ralph behind the bench.
“We’ve been battling in the trenches for all hours of the day, trying to be successful,” said Ralph, the new head coach of the Kelowna (B.C.) Rockets of the Western Hockey League. “I’m excited that Neil is getting this opportunity. He deserves it, and I’m 100 percent confident that he’ll be successful.”
Although his hiring comes late in the offseason, Graham thinks the transition should be fairly seamless. The team has announced the signing of five players, and Graham said another handful have committed and recruiting is on track.
“We know Neil and the type of worker he is,” Trapp said. “No one is outworking him in recruiting.”
Graham, who hopes to announce an assistant coach within the next week or so, said he’ll put his own stamp on the team but he doesn’t foresee an overhaul in philosophy or style.
“I will evaluate what we have in camp, and from there we’ll have a game plan,” said Graham, a native of Calgary, Alberta, who played college hockey at Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania. “It’s going to be fast, high-tempo, exciting brand of hockey. I don’t anticipate a ton of change. We’re going to be offensive and we’re going to play with speed.”
At 30 years old, Graham is the youngest coach in Steelheads history, and the youngest in the ECHL. Ralph said any concerns about Graham’s experience are unfounded.
“He is way more prepared than I was for this job,” said Ralph, who went 132-64-20 (.657 winning percentage) in three seasons with Idaho. “He’s got a way better handle on everything than I did. He’ll step right in and hit the ground running.”
Graham’s focus the past two seasons has been the defense and penalty-kill units (both finished in the top five in the ECHL). Along the way, Graham also garnered the respect of his players, Ralph said.
“(Players) will obviously test the boundaries of an assistant coach, and he pushed back at the right time in the right manner,” Ralph said.
Still, Graham will be seen as a player’s coach.
“He’s funny and energetic,” Ralph said. “He relates really well to the players.”
Around the locker room, Graham is known for his bright smile and outgoing personality. But don’t tell him he’s too nice to be a head hockey coach.
“When push comes to shove and it’s time to go, there’s no need to worry about my drive and how I’ll deal with the team,” Graham said.
He’ll get a chance to show players his resolve when they report to training camp. The Steelheads open the season Oct. 16 at home against the Rapid City Rush.
This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 11:28 AM.