Jesse Davis has been named Head Coach and GM of Hockey Operations for the Breckenridge Bucks Junior A Hockey Club of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL)
Davis is the 1st Head Coach to be announced from the RMJHL, with 6 teams set to play their inaugural season in 2015-16. Along with the Breckenridge Bucks, the other teams in the league include the: Aspen Leafs, Colorado Rampage, Colorado Thunderbirds, Grand Junction Coyotes and Pikes Peak Miners.
Davis brings over 16 seasons of high level coaching and hockey operations experience to the Bucks, including stretches in the USHL, NAHL, AAA, and High School Hockey. He spent the last 4+ years in the tier I United States Hockey League (USHL) serving the majority of that time as Assistant Coach & Director of Player Personnel for the Fargo Force; Davis was hired by, at the time Head Coach & GM Jason Herter, (now Assistant Coach at Univ. of Minn-Duluth). In his four seasons with the Force, the team saw 12 NHL draft picks, over 30 college commitments, and a USHL Western Conference Championship, including a trip to the Clark Cup finals. Davis also had a short stint with USHL expansion club Bloomington Thunder, serving as Assistant Coach & Director of Scouting.
Previous to his USHL days the 39-year-old Davis, who is originally from the Detroit, MI area, began his coaching career as the Assistant Coach with the Motor City Chiefs (Head Coaches Don Burton & John Blum) of the CSHL in 2000-01. From there he moved onto High School/Prep School Varsity jobs as an Assistant Coach Royal Oak High School (Head Coach Craig Ward) and Orchard Lake St Mary’s Prep (Head Coach Brian Klanow). Davis was also Head Coach for Orchard Lake St Mary’s Prep JV team, which won the championship in 2004.
Moving into the AAA hockey levels, Davis had Assistant Coaching jobs with Detroit Little Caesars (Head Coach Billy Ciraulo), Detroit Compuware (Head Coach Derek Szajner), Detroit Belle Tire (Head Coach Chris Coury), and Chicago Fury (Head Coach Dennis Vaske). During this time Davis coached 10 future NHL draft picks, over 40 future college or Major Junior players, and over 60 future Junior A players, along with advancing to a few State championships.
In addition to coaching at the HS and AAA levels, Davis assumed a scouting position with the Toledo/Alpena IceDiggers (Head Coaches Mike Mankowski and Kenny Miller) of the NAHL and subsequently, a GM position with the Motor City Machine (Head Coaches Matt Romaniski and Sean Clark) of the NAHL.
Working his way up the coaching ranks, Davis joined Head Coach Tony Curtale and the Texas Tornado of the NAHL as Assistant Coach/Assistant GM in 2009. This team would go on to win the Robertson Cup two years later.
After a one-season stop in Texas, Davis began his coaching tenure in the USHL with the Fargo Force.
Davis owns Hockey Smart LLC, a company formed in 2006, which provides consulting, training, coaching, and mentorship, and he is also heavily involved with numerous spring and summer hockey activities such as:
- USA Hockey Development Camps
- Park City Invitational (PCI)
- US Junior Development Program (USJDP)
- Rocky Mountain Hockey Schools (RMHS)
- Elite Edge Hockey Showcase
Davis began his playing career as a youth player in his hometown of St Clair Shores MI, where the NAHL 1st began. His junior career began when he was drafted by the Michigan Nationals of the NAHL in 1993. Juniors for Davis included time with the Michigan Nationals and Detroit Freeze of the NAHL as well as the Royal Oak Royals and Downriver Blades of the CSHL. Davis also had a brief pro career, including stints with the Detroit Falcons in the CoHL, Flint Generals and Motor City Mechanics in the UHL, Knoxville Ice Bears in the ACHL, Toledo Storm in the ECHL, and Indianapolis Ice in the CHL.
Davis and his wife Stefanie, who he met in Fargo, look to move into the Breckenridge community during the summer prior to season start.
Davis states: “My wife and I are very excited to get the chance to live in a great part of the country. Summit County is a beautiful place, and I feel very fortunate to coach hockey there. I am looking forward to putting a team on the ice, in Breckenridge, that will not only provide an entertainment value to the community, but will also give back to youth hockey, community programs, and create opportunity for our players to advance in their hockey careers.”
Check out the Breckenridge Bucks website at www.breckenridgebucks.com
