Falcons add associate coach
Matt Miller’s choice of wardrobe may have helped him land him a spot on the St. Catharines Falcons coaching staff.
The 32-year-old Pickering native was watching one of his former players, Anaheim Ducks defenceman Jamie Drysdale while he was playing for the Erie Otters, when Falcons general manager Frank Girhiny noticed Miller’s coat.
“I was wearing my Niagara North jacket and Frank came up and introduced himself and we chatted for a bit,” Miller recalled.
Miller and Girhiny kept in touch and recently Girhiny reached out with an offer to join the Falcons for the 2021/22 season. “I thought he was calling about a couple of my players. He told me he had been watching me and would love to have me join the team in an associate coach position rather than an assistant coach and be more involved,” Miller said.
Miller was thrilled with the chance to move up the coaching ranks.
“They have an established, great program they are running,” Miller said. “I had the midget program offered to me and a couple of other AAA programs offered to me but I’m thrilled to be joining them.
“When I get involved in something coaching wise, I’m 110 per cent committed. I can’t wait to get started.”
Miller hasn’t been able to meet Falcons head coach Tyler Bielby in person yet due to the COVID pandemic, but the two clicked immediately, hooking up through video and phone calls.
“There’s a lot of passion, a lot of enthusiasm,” Bielby said. “He shares a common interest with the other coaches in a sense that he’s there for the right reasons. He enjoys the game and loves working with the young guys.”
Miller’s involvement with the Niagara North program, where he was both an assistant and head coach, is also a plus.
“There is a lot of value in that he is very familiar with the date of births that will be playing junior over the next four to five years coming out of the minor hockey system,” Bielby said. “I think having a pulse on the players coming through will be beneficial for us.”
Miller will work with defencemen, filling the void left when John D’Lorenzo left the club last season due to the pandemic.
“That is right up my ally having helped develop Lleyton Moore (former Niagara IceDogs first round selection) and Drysdale and having been involved with a lot of good defenceman prospects,” Miller said. “I’m good at developing D so for me it’s comfort level right where I’m going.”
Bielby feels having Miller work with the team’s defencemen is a perfect fit.
“There is a talented group there who will really benefit from the passion he brings to the table,” Bielby said. “It’s going to be a good fit from our culture standpoint, for sure.”
Miller has an impressive background.
He grew up playing AAA for the Ajax-Pickering Raiders under former NHL forwards Billy Carroll and Bobby Lalonde. He went on to play Tier 2 and then suited up for the Division 3 Potsdam Bears for two seasons before injuries forced him to retire.
Miller returned to Niagara — his family had moved to the area — and graduated from Brock before working with Brock professor Kelly Lockwood’s skating lab in Toronto, where he also began to coach with the Don Mills Flyers. From there, Miller began to help run hockey camps in Toronto and got a job with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.
“It was tickets sales and hockey development, but in reality it was camps for kids learning to skate,” Miller said.
Miller, tired of the commute, then reached out to Niagara North where he began as an assistant coach before moving up to head coach where he took the North Stars to a berth in the OMHAs.
“I think my kind of coaching style — I’m outspoken, I’m loud, I’m full of passion and like to have fun — I would classify myself as a player’s coach and I build a relationship with the kids, rather than the parents,” he said.
He is eager to coach at the next level.
“I think the pace will be quicker so coaches have to be quicker to adapt your strategy and tactics and make your adjustments quicker on the fly,” he said. “There might be less coaching going on because the kids actually understand.
“My mindset would be preparation is everything. There is more attention to detail in practices for systems and structure and when the puck drops they know what they are doing, you’re just helping guide in the right direction but they understand the system that has been implemented. In minor hockey, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve practiced, you still have to remind them in games.”
Miller, who works for Royal LePage, feels working at the junior level will help him grow as a coach.
“I’m looking forward to learning from these guys,” he said. “As far as local junior B programs go, Frank does a terrific job and Tyler is a proven coach.”
Miller joins Tony Notarianni on Bielby’s staff. The club is also in the process of hiring a skills coach.
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