ECHL: Kalamazoo Wings Hire Two New Assistant Coaches

The Kalamazoo Wings have announced that they have hired two new assistant coaches in Billy McCreary and Jonathon Elliott, as Kohl Shultz has accepted an assistant coaching job overseas with HC Pustertal in the ICEHL. Shultz had been with the Wings for the past two seasons and was a big part of the K-Wings PP, which took advantage of a lot of their opportunities in the second half of the season last year as they were 25.3% with the man advantage in the second half of the 2023-24 season.

McCreary joins Kalamazoo after spending the last five seasons in Danbury, including three seasons as the GM/Head Coach of the Danbury Hat Tricks. The South Hampton, Ontario native would be involved with the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks in four of those five seasons, which included two seasons as a Head Coach/GM, a year as an assistant coach, and last season he was the Director of Hockey Operations for the Jr. Hat Tricks. He would be named FPHL Coach of the Year in 2020, where he led the Hat Tricks to a 29-12-3 record in a year where the playoffs would be canceled; McCreary would finally end up winning an FPHL Championship in 2022.

“I want to thank Joel Martin for putting his trust in me and allowing my family to call Kalamazoo home,” McCreary said. “I am deeply honored by the opportunity to represent one of the most storied franchises in pro hockey. This organization has strong leadership, from top to bottom, and I am thrilled to be able to bring my passions to the team.”
McCreary on joining the K-Wings Coaching Staff

Elliott joins the K-Wings after spending the last six seasons at the NCAA level, which included four years at Saint Mary’s University all as an assistant coach. He would also play four years of collegiate hockey with the Cardinals prior to going behind the bench, putting up ten goals along with 12 assists for 22 points in 62 games. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native has spent the last two years at Miami University (Ohio) as the Director of Hockey Operations in his first year with the RedHawks and spent last season as the team’s assistant coach.

“It’s an honor to be chosen as the next assistant coach of the Kalamazoo Wings,” Elliott said. “I would like to thank Joel, along with owners Bill Johnston and Ronda Stryker, for their belief in me and for trusting me with this incredible opportunity with such a storied franchise.

“Kalamazoo is a special place, and I am very excited to be back in my home state surrounded by such a passionate fan base. I look forward to contributing to the team’s success and being involved in the community.” 
-Elliott on joining the K-Wings Coaching Staff (via Kalamazoo Wings Press Release)

Kalamazoo still has a lot of work to do before the season starts in October, as they were one of the later teams to start announcing signings. At the time of this article, the K-Wings have five players signed to contracts for the 2024-25 season, including three defensemen and two forwards. It will be interesting to see how this roster unfolds as the off-season continues.