Brock Sheahan named next Chicago Wolves head coach

The Chicago Wolves have officially named Brock Sheahan as their next head coach. This follows Ryan Warsofsky’s departure earlier this summer after accepting an Assistant Coach position with the San Jose Sharks.

Sheahan, 38, has spent the past four seasons with the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He served as their head coach for two and a half seasons, sporting a record of 108-30-12-3, including playoffs. This makes Sheahan the winningest coach in Steel franchise history.

Prior to joining the Steel as an Associate Head Coach for the 2018-19 season, Sheahan spent four seasons behind the bench of the NCAA’s College of the Holy Cross, serving for two seasons as an Assistant Coach and for two as an Associate Head Coach. He also spent one season as an assistant coach for Notre Dame.

As a player, Sheahan spent four seasons in the ECHL, playing 282 games and winning the Kelly Cup in 2010 with the Cincinnati Cyclones. The defenseman jumped right into coaching after concluding his career with the Ontario Reign (an ECHL franchise at the time) in 2013.

Under Sheahan, the Steel have produced 20 NHL draft picks, including Owen Power and Brendan Brisson. Power, Matt Coronato, and Mackie Samoskevich were all selected in the first round of the 2021 draft. Eight players, including Brisson, were selected in the 2020 draft, setting a new franchise record.

The Steel have become one of the top teams in the USHL. In addition to capturing the Calder Cup, the team has dominated in the standings, including an incredible 41-7-1 record in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. The Steel have also been in the top three in USHL scoring for the past three seasons. They captured the Anderson Cup, awarded to the league’s regular season champion, in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. (The 2019-20 Anderson Cup was awarded by default after the season was cancelled due to the pandemic.) Additionally, they won the Clark Cup in the 2020-21 season, but lost in the second round in the 2021-22 season.

Sheahan’s coaching style does not seem as though it will be a significant departure from Warsofsky’s. Sheahan is largely known as a player’s coach, one who is invested in seeing his players succeed. For the USHL, that means preparing them for college and beyond; in the AHL, it means preparing players for the NHL. Sheahan keeps his blue line very active, with defensemen jumping up frequently into the play.

As a coach, Sheahan has risen to the challenge at every level, including his unexpected promotion to head coach during the Steels 2019-20 season. With his ability to communicate with and motivate players, he looks to be a great fit for the organization as they look to continue to push younger players like Ryan Suzuki and Jamieson Rees to the next level.