Minot, ND – The Minot Minotauros are proud to announce that Tyler Ebner has joined the Minotauros staff as an Assistant Coach. Former Minotauros Assistant Coach Kyle Sharkey has departed to take a role as an Assistant Coach in the Southern Professional Hockey League. Sharkey had just completed his first season of coaching after joining the Tauros prior to last season and now returns to the professional level where he played for four seasons prior to his coaching career. Tauros Head Coach/General Manager Cody Campbell did not wait long to fill the vacancy created by Sharkey’s departure with Ebner.
As to why Campbell moved quickly to bring in Ebner, he explained, “We are thrilled to add Tyler to our staff. Tyler played in the NAHL prior to moving on to play college hockey and his playing experience in the league will be incredibly valuable to our players.” Campbell added that, “Tyler also gained fantastic experience this past season as an assistant coach at the NCAA D-III level with SUNY-Fredonia. He had the opportunity to work alongside one of the most respected head coaches in college hockey, Jeff Meredith, and will bring a ton of knowledge to our players through that experience. We look forward to Tyler’s arrival to Minot!”
As Campbell alluded to Ebner played 87 games in the North American Hockey League for the Coulee Region Chill (now the Chippewa Steel) from 2016-2018. Over his two seasons he posted 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. He then went on to play at NCAA D-III Gustavus Adolphus College where in 76 games over four seasons he posted 35 points. After finishing school Ebner moved immediately into coaching for NCAA D-III SUNY-Fredonia.
Ebner himself points to his season with Meredith as an asset in his short career, “I learned so much from Coach Meredith. The biggest aspect being how to develop and foster an incredible team culture through positive relationships with current and future players and with alumni. Coach taught me to lead through empowering players to have a say in what it is they are doing. When players have a voice they are more likely to buy into the standards of the team and organization.”
The new Tauros assistant also echoed Campbell regarding his time in the NAHL as a player being a way to connect to the players, “The seasons are long, and I learned how mentally tough you have to be to play in the NAHL. Playing a 60-game season is a grind both physically and mentally for these players. Having gone through the grind myself gives me an ability to relate to what these players go through on a daily basis. Hopefully this experience will allow me to help the players manage their emotions when going through some of the tough experiences that arise during the course of a season.”
In regards to his overall coaching style Ebner said, “The biggest thing to me is developing positive relationships with the players I coach. I want the players to feel comfortable which enables them to play with more confidence. But in terms of coaching style, I’d say collaborative and engaging. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have all the answers. I ask a ton of questions in order to get to the best possible solution we as a team can come up with. I often formulate my ideas to players in the form of questions in order to get them engaged and thinking about the game on a deep level. I found when I was a player and coaches taught in this manner, my hockey IQ increased tremendously.”
“We want to thank Kyle for all of his work and contributions to the entire Tauros organization over the past year. Kyle did a great job of connecting with and teaching our players. We wish Kyle, his wife Kelsey and daughter shay nothing but the best as he transitions into pro hockey.”
Ebner has arrived in Minot ahead of Main Camp which starts tomorrow on the Eck Rink at the Maysa Arena. All sessions are open to the public with no admission charge (schedule below).
Main Camp Public Schedule
Wednesday 5:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Thursday 4:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Friday Prospects Game 7:00 p.m.
Saturday All-Star Game 10:00 a.m.