John Ambrefe, native of Boston, Massachusetts, has formally accepted the position of Head Coach of the new WSHL expansion team, the Casper Coyotes.
Coach Ambrefe is a fastidious, level four, USA Hockey certified coach. Hand crafting winning teams along with having a hand in moving players on the the next level are the two things he is most passionate about.
John attended Norwich University where he played four years varsity hockey and graduated with a BS degree in Physical Education/Sports Administration. After his playing days, Ambrefe taught PE in high school and coached hockey in the Boston area. Starting in 2005-06 John was the assistant coach for the ACHA FAU Owls in Boca Raton. While under Ambrefe’s direction the Owls were ranked 9th in the country at the end of the season. From 2006-2009 Coach Ambrefe coached Midget programs in South Florida. In 2009-10 Ambrefe revamped a struggling Palm Beach Junior hockey program. In three short years at the helm, Ambrefe’s teams won 80+ games. During his first two seasons, 2009-10 and 2010-11 Ambrefe was selected to coach the MJHL South All-star game. In 2010-11 Ambrefe was awarded ‘Coach of the Year’ of the MJHL South after leading his team to the Junior B National tournament. They placed as the semifinalist and were ranked third nationally. In 2011-12 Palm Beach was awarded an EJHL South affiliation. With another 20 win season, Ambrefe made the playoffs for a third year in a row.
Coach Ambrefe brought his success to Philadelphia for the 2012-13 where he was head coach of the Philadelphia Jackals, a Junior A team that ended their season with a record of 36-9-3 and placed second in their league. Ambrefe just finished up a playoff run with the Philadelphia Revolution OYR, who he coached through their inaugural season. Despite their fledgling status, they finished first in their division and fourth in the Southern Conference in the MJHL.Coach Ambrefe is anxious to get to Casper with his family and see what the city and the arena have to offer. He is excited about his upcoming role in helping to establish an expansion team in this hockey hungry area and is confident that his past successes in similar undertakings will enhance the creation of a Casper junior hockey program.
