Matt Smaby, far right, will be the next Black Hawks coach. | Twitter Matt Samby
Matt Smaby, far right, will be the next Black Hawks coach. | Twitter Matt Samby
The Waterloo Black Hawks have announced that they have hired a new head coach: Matt Smaby.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, native Smaby takes over for P.K. O’Handley, who had been with the team since the 2002-2003 season, KWWL reported.
“I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome Matt and his family to the Cedar Valley,” O’Handley said. “He checked every box and priority we had for our next head coach and demonstrated throughout an intensive hiring process that he stood out above the many candidates we considered.”
Smaby has a vast array of playing and coaching experience, in the U.S. and internationally, and stated that he was looking to contribute quickly to the organization.
“I am extremely excited and humbled to be joining an organization with such a rich tradition,” Smaby said, according to KWWL. “There are so many positive aspects about Waterloo which make it a great place to play. I want to continue the success the organization has enjoyed, while making my own contribution to Black Hawk hockey. I look forward to getting to work.”
Smaby was drafted 41st overall back in the 2003 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning and played in 122 games, according to hockeyDB.com.
Smaby started coaching back at his alma mater University of North Dakota and then went and coached in Austria’s top league, the Austrian Ice Hockey Association, KWWL reported.
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