North Stars named Jonasson new head coach

April 29, 2016

The Breezy Point North Stars, proud members of the North American 3 Hockey League, are pleased to announce the hiring of Jon Jonasson as head coach of the North Stars for the 2016-17 season.  Jonasson replaces Josh Dallman, who succeeded head coach Jeff Worlton, both of which have assumed coaching duties with the Kenai River Brown Bears of the North American Hockey League.  

 

Jon Jonasson comes to the Breezy Point North Stars as the Head Coach with 10+ years of coaching experience at all levels. Jon is from Bloomington, MN where he played 3 years of Varsity hockey for Bloomington Kennedy. Following high school hockey Jon played 3 years of Junior Hockey in the MNJHL for the Twin Cities Northern Lights and the Minnesota Owls. After his junior career he had a short stint at the Minor Professional level with Evansville Icemen of the AAHL in 2009 before he decided to continue his coaching career.  

 

“We are excited with the experience that Jon brings to the table,” said General Manager Craig Larson. “Coaches Worlton and Dallman did a great job here in Breezy Point and we wish them the best in Kenai River,” Larson added.  “Jonasson has a lot of energy, is a tireless recruiter and has a solid plan for player development. With his many contacts in the NAHL and his track record for advancing players, we felt he is the right fit to continue our success moving forward as an organization and a developmental program in the NA3HL,” said Larson.  

 

"I am more than excited to be named the Head Coach of the North Stars for the 2016-2017 season. Breezy Point has done all the right things since becoming a franchise, to be a top notch program and I plan to add to that. After spending sometime up in Breezy Point recently, I knew it was a perfect fit for me to grow as a coach and build something special. Players in Breezy Point are offered some of the best amenities in the league and are offered the opportunity of growth as a player at their fingertips," said Jon Jonasson.

 

Jon spent 2010-2011 as an Associate Coach of the Phoenix Polar Bears Junior A team of the WSHL where his contributions led them to a trip to the Western Division Championship. In 2011-2012 Jon was the director of recruiting for the Cheyenne Stampede for their inaugural season, having a helping hand in the team having a successful first season. Most recently he was the Head Coach/GM with the Helena Bighorns Junior A team in the NA3HL out of Helena, MT. While with the Bighorns he held a solid winning record in a strong division in the last 2 seasons. In his first year with Helena, Jon led the team to the Frontier Division championship coming just short of 1 point in being in the Silver Cup. Currently in the offseason Jon is also a scout the Janesville Jets in the NAHL.  Since entering the Junior coaching ranks he has moved over 30+ players on to the next level including NAHL, SIJHL, NOJHL, NCAA Div 3, ACHA D1, ACHA d2. 

 

“We are very excited to have Jon Jonasson join our organization.  He has a proven track record that will build upon our up and coming program.  His philosophy of moving players on to the next level, matches perfectly with our goals for this program,” added team president David Spizzo.

 

During the offseason Jon will be living in Austin, MN with his wife Kellie and his daughters Skylar(3) and Charley(1) along with spending a lot of time in Breezy Point during the summer.