By Charlotte Rush Staff
Charlotte, N.C. – The Charlotte Rush are proud to announce the 2023-24 Premier and Elite Coaching Staff. The Rush are proud to announce the return of Trevor Jewell. He will be returning as the Assistant General Manager and Premier Head Coach. Coach Trevor Kleckner also returns, in an elevated role as he will serve as the Elite Head Coach, while Coach Bailey Conklin will return as an Assistant Coach with both the Premier and Elite teams.
Coach Trevor Jewell has been with the Charlotte Rush Organization for over seven years, having served previously as the Elite Head Coach 2016-18, Premier and Elite Head Coach 2018-19, and the Premier Head Coach 2019-21. During that time, he also served as an Assistant Coach with the NAHL’s Corpus Christi Ice Rays with Owner/GM Ryan Cruthers.
Most recently he served as the Head Coach of the Carolina Premier 13U & 14U AAA teams while serving as the Director of Player Development for the Rush. Trevor has been involved in each of the Rush’s National Championships at the Premier and Elite levels. He has helped place countless alumni into the NCAA and knows what it takes to be successful at this level. Having someone like Trevor lead the way with the knowledge and experience he possesses is great for our players, our goal has always been to develop and advance our players to higher levels and with him at the helm we know for certain that will be accomplished.
“I want to say thank you to the Ownership for their continued support and faith in me. I am extremely excited to be back behind the bench with the Rush,” said Jewell. “I hope to continue the success this program has seen on the ice and in community, which has become the standard here in Charlotte. The goal remains the same, to develop and advance our players to a higher level while also living by the great culture that Ryan has instilled in all of us herewith the Rush, players and coaches alike. I am eager for the players to begin reporting in early September with the group we have built for next season thus far.”
Coach Trevor Kleckner is set to return in an elevated role as the Elite Head Coach. Last Season, Coach Kleckner served as the Assistant Coach with both Premier and Elite. Before joining the Rush Coach Kleckner served as the Assistant Coach of Arcadia University at the NCAA Division III level. At Arcadi,a he helped build a a team that immediately hit the ice ready to compete at the NCAA level.
Previously, Coach Kleckner was a forward for the Rush for two seasons, winning a National Championship as a Captain his last season with the Rush. After the Rush, he suited up for Bryn Athyn at the NCAA Division III level before finishing his career with Robert Morris University at the ACHA D1 level. He has been instrumental in our recruiting efforts of the last two seasons, helping to build both Premier and Elite teams in 2022-23. We are excited to see him take the reigns of the Elite team and take the next step in his career.
“I want to first say thank you to the Ownership group for the opportunity to be the Head Coach of the Charlotte Rush Elite Team for the 2023-2024 season,” said Kleckner. “Since leaving the Rush after our National Championship in 2017, I knew I wanted to come back and give the new generation of players the same experience I had under Coach Cruthers and Coach Jewell. I’ve gained a ton of knowledge last year as an Assistant in Charlotte and could not be more excited to work alongside Coach Jewell and Coach Conklin. Now it’s time to get to work and get both of these teams back to nationals.”
Coach Bailey Conklin returns for his second season. Coach Conklin served as the Assistant Coach with both Premier and Elite in 2022-23, while also serving as the Video Coordinator for Carolina Premier Hockey. This season he returns to his same position with the Rush looking to build on a great first season. He was a major part of our players development on a daily basis while also creating fantastic relationships with them. Coach Conklin is also a former Rush player, having played his final junior season here in Charlotte.
Following Charlotte, he embarked on a great NCAA Division III career at SUNY-Canton. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the room and a great attitude towards the game. We are very happy to have him back for another season.
