Seawolves hire McKelvie

It was only matter of time that Ryan McKelvie ended up on a college-hockey coaching staff. On Wednesday, it was announced that Alaska-Anchorage hired the former Minnesota State captain as an assistant on Dave Shyiak's staff.

"We ae getting an up and coming young coach who will be a big asset to our program," Shyiak said. "Ryan has all the attributes we were looking for in a coach and recruiter. We wanted someone who had ties to Minnesota, USHL, NAHL and the (WCHA)."

McKelvie has spent the last two seasons as the associate coach for the Wenatchee Wild of the NAHL. Before that, he was a graduate assistant at Bemidji State.

McKelvie played for the Mavericks from 2002-2006 and had nine goals and 30 assists in 134 games. He was an assistant captain for three seasons.

In a statement, MSU coach Troy Jutting said: "Obviously, we're happy and excited for Ryan and proud he's getting this opportunity with the Seawolves. I'm convinced he'll do a tremendous job for UAA. He's a very hard-working and dedicated individual who understands the game. And with the success they've had at Wenatchee during his time there, he has the ability to recruit as well as coach at an advanced level."

Read the UAA press release here.
Read MSU's release here.

When Eric Means left Jutting's staff to take over the MSU women's program, I thought McKelvie might have a shot at that spot. But MSU went with more experience in Todd Knott. So far, Knott looks like a great choice. But it's good to see McKelvie climbing the coaching ladder. I think he's going to be a good one.